A father and son team are being credited with saving a bottlenose dolphin’s life in Leeman, Australia. The vacationing duo came across the beached, juvenile dolphin in Western Australia and quickly went about their great dolphin rescue. Unfortunately, each time the dolphin was lead into deeper water, it would swim back and get itself stuck on the beach again. However, the father and son stayed with the distressed dolphin, keeping it calm and in the water until staff from the Department of Environment and Conservation came to aid in the rescue.
“Their concern for the dolphin’s welfare was critical to ensure that the animal was healthy when we arrived to transport it to a safe area for release,” DEC Marine Park Coordinator Matthew Dasey told PerthNow of the father and son. “We were impressed at their dedication and it was obvious that the young boy had formed a bond with the animal over the hours of their intervention. It also seemed that the dolphin was calmer when its rescuers were nearby. We are thankful for their help.”
What caused the dolphin to get itself into trouble to begin with is unknown, but there are several possible reasons for it to seemingly act so irrationally.
“Despite their serene appearance, dolphins can become stressed and can behave in ways that make no sense to us. It is possible that this dolphin was chased by predators such as sharks into the shallows, but we have no way to know for sure what happened,” explained Dasey. “What is clear though, is that without assistance this stressed-out animal would have died on the beach.”
The DEC staff, along with a veterinarian, checked out the dolphin’s condition and then released it back into the water in a sanctuary zone in Jurien Beach Marine Park.
“It was dark by the time we were in position but the dolphin was healthy and swam away strongly when released under the supervision of the veterinarian,” reported Dasey. “I am confident that swift action by members of the public and DEC has saved the life of this dolphin and the whole team was extremely pleased at the result.”
– Jeff Fox, Staff Writer
