Dolphin spotted playing with swimmers is killed by boat

A dolphin which went viral on social media playing and jumping around a group of swimmers in Cornwall last month has died after being struck by a boat.

The bottlenose dolphin, nicknamed ‘Nick’, was found dead on Sunday (September 12), washed up at Roaches Point in Cork Harbour, Ireland.

A volunteer from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) was dispatched to visit the dead animal, and spotted deep cuts in Nick’s tail which experts think were caused by a boat propeller.

The experts also found that Nick had been in “good” nutritional condition, suggesting it was the boat alone which killed him.

Photos of the dead dolphin showed Nick’s distinctive white scar on his nose, which many people had commonly mistaken for a plastic bag being stuck.

Nick acquired brief internet fame after a stunning close encounter with swimmers in Hayle Harbour on August 22.

He swam right up to the humans, who were already in the water, playing, jumping, and splashing them.