A unique exhibition aimed at bringing attention to Scotland’s incredible dolphins and their protection in Scottish waters has opened at the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery until 6th October.

The centrepiece of the exhibition, created by WDCS, is the incredible skeleton of ‘Kess’, one of the most regularly watched dolphins in the Beauly Firth for over 20 years.

What makes this skeleton unique is its spine; twisted by scoliosis, the same condition that affects humans. Easily recognised by her hunchback appearance, Kess lived her whole life in the Inner Moray Firth, successfully raising three calves despite her disability, and hunting daily near the Kessock Bridge and Chanonry Point. Her calf ‘Kesslet’ is now rearing her own young in the same waters.

“This is a once in a lifetime chance to see inside a dolphin,” says Elsa Panciroli, supervisor for the WDCS North Kessock Dolphin and Seal Centre in Inverness, and organiser of the exhibition. “We’ve rescued Kess from obscurity in Edinburgh Museum’s storerooms and brought her back to her home. We can learn so much from her and her descendants.”

Accompanying the skeleton will be photographs by local photographer and WDCS field officer, Charlie Phillips, together with information and footage of dolphins and whales in their native habitat.

Recent proposals for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Scotland may not include important whale and dolphin habitats. WDCS wants to show how important MPAs are for our marine life.

Entrance to Dolphins of the Firth – Kess Comes Home is free. For more information about the exhibit, or WDCS’s MPA campaign and work in Scotland, contact Elsa Panciroli, WDCS Dolphin and Seal Centre Supervisor, at: [email protected], or call 01343 820 339