Rare Live White-Beaked Dolphin Rescued from Beach at Egmond aan Zee

A rare live white-beaked dolphin washed ashore on the beach at Egmond aan Zee, in the province of Noord-Holland, on Sunday evening. The animal, an unusual visitor to the Dutch coast, has since been transferred to the rescue centre of foundation SOS Dolfijn in Anna Paulowna, where veterinarians are examining it for any signs of illness or injury.

It is only the third time SOS Dolfijn has taken in a live white-beaked dolphin, making the rescue an exceptional one for the foundation.

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A "thrashing" in the surf

Around 8 p.m. on Sunday, walkers along the beach noticed something "spartelends" - thrashing - in the surf and alerted local strandvonder Marco Snijders. A strandvonder is a centuries-old role unique to the Dutch coast: an official who oversees objects, including animals, that wash ashore. When Snijders heard the animal was still alive, he immediately moved into action.

"I asked whether the animal was still alive, because then it's urgent," Snijders told regional broadcaster NH. With about five other people, he pulled the dolphin out of the surf and onto the beach. Bystanders then helped keep it cool with soaked cloths and buckets of seawater while waiting for the experts from SOS Dolfijn.

Snijders explained that the cooling was essential. Dolphins are mammals and need to breathe air, but the stress of stranding can cause their body temperature to rise dangerously high. "We had to make sure he didn't go into heat stress."

Don't push them back into the sea

According to Snijders, not all beachgoers understood that this was a serious rescue effort. "Most people want to push the animal back into the sea," he said. "But it doesn't strand for nothing. If they strand, something is wrong." Pushing a stranded dolphin back into the water often only delays the problem, he explained. The animal is then likely to wash up again hours later, this time even more stressed.

Some bystanders reacted angrily, he added, accusing the rescuers of letting the animal die. In reality, professionals know that getting a stranded marine mammal to specialised care as quickly as possible offers the best chance of recovery.

At the SOS Dolfijn shelter

The dolphin was transported to the SOS Dolfijn rescue centre in Anna Paulowna later on Sunday evening. A first inspection produced cautiously positive news: the animal had no visible injuries and did not appear to have become entangled in fishing gear or debris.

A vet is now examining the dolphin in detail, including determining whether it is male or female. Identifying any underlying illnesses will take more time, the foundation said. The dolphin's chances of recovery and eventual release back into the sea will depend on those findings.

A rare visitor

White-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) are usually found in the colder waters of the northern Atlantic Ocean. They are recognisable by their stubby snouts and high, sickle-shaped dorsal fins, and can grow between 2.5 and 3 metres long, weighing up to 360 kilograms.

While the species occasionally appears in the southern North Sea, individuals very rarely reach the Dutch coast. SOS Dolfijn says it has only taken in two white-beaked dolphins before this one. According to the foundation's Annemarie van den Berg, both of those previous animals, named Emma and Robbie, did not survive.

An exceptional year for marine mammals

Of all the marine mammals living in or near Dutch waters, the grey seal, the harbour seal, and the harbour porpoise are by far the most common. Stranded white-beaked dolphins, by contrast, are unusual events.

So far in 2026, however, SOS Dolfijn has already encountered eleven different marine mammal species which is an unusually high number, the foundation says, and a sign that this is shaping up to be a remarkable year for sea life along the Dutch coast.

For now, attention is on the latest arrival in Anna Paulowna. SOS Dolfijn has said it will share more news once the vet's examinations are complete.