A beached dolphin at Port Elizabeth’s Main Beach was was taken 15 nautical miles out to seas where it was released yesterday evening.
NSRI Port Elizabeth said at 5.55 pm, 11 January, the volunteer duty crew launched the sea rescue craft Eikos Rescuer Iv and went to the scene where local Blue Water Bay volunteer Sector Police were already. Bayworld members were activated with their specialised marine animal carrying stretchers to assist.
The dolphin believed to be female, about 1.7 meters in length, was found to be in good health but hard aground on the beach. It was loaded onto a stretcher, carried to the sea rescue craft nearby and transported to deep sea off-shore. It appeared to swim off confidently and strongly.
Ian Gray, NSRI Port Elizabeth station commander, said that the dolphin was barely out of the boat before it wriggled around and leaped into the water and swam off.
The NSRI crew is cautiously optimistic with hope that the dolphin has been saved and the coastline will be monitored over the next few days to see if the dolphin re-beaches.
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