Marra, the wild bottlenose dolphin who’s been attracting visitors to Maryport marina in Cumbria has finally been released. The juvenile was first spotted on 2 January in Senhouse Dock, and had resisted all efforts to be ‘rescued’, appearing to be afraid of the gates. As fish stocks dwindled, Marra seemed to be losing weight and experts were becoming increasingly worried about his health.

In a final rescue attempt, the marina was drained yesterday afternoon so that Marra could be ushered into a net by members of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue group. In front of a crowd of a 100, Marra was hoisted by crane onto the back of the town’s inshore patrol boat and taken out to sea. He dived and surfaced a few times, before swimming away with a second dolphin.