Rare dolphins seen off Welsh coast in drone footage

Pod recorded with drone by an electronics shop manager

A pod of rare dolphins were filmed swimming off the coast of North Wales.

Andrew Huddlesone, an electronics shop manager from Abersoch, recorded the drone footage when he took his boat out near Saint Tudwal’s.

It is believed to be the UK’s largest pod of bottlenose dolphins, which can been identified by their dorsal fin - as unique to an individual dolphin as a fingerprint is to a human.

The only single resident pod of bottlenose dolphins in England were discovered last year.

At the time, Ruth Williams, a marine conservation manager at the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, described it as “incredibly exciting”.

“Further work is needed but this is a huge step forward and I am proud of what our partnership between Cornwall Wildlife Trust, scientists and boat operators has achieved,” she said.

“The future of these iconic animals is in our hands and we need to make sure the few we currently have in the south-west are given the protection not just to survive, but to thrive.”

Bottlenose dolphins can commonly be seen in waters, along the coast of North Wales and by Cardigan Bay.

The UK's other substantial population can be found in Moray Firth in Scotland, where they have protected status.