China News Service, Taizhou, April 1 (Fu Feiyang and Ding Zili) "I feel very relieved to see dolphins waving their tails and swimming towards the depths of the sea." Although his body, feet and hands were covered with mud, Wenling, Taizhou, Zhejiang Province Sun Yongwei, a police officer from Binhai Police Station, could not hide his excitement when being interviewed.
At about 14:55 on March 31, a dolphin weighing about 200 kilograms was stranded on the Tuanjie Beitang beach in Wenling City. The local area immediately dispatched emergency rescue, and the fire, public security, fishery and other departments jointly rescued the dolphin, which was trapped in the "quagmire" and returned to the sea in less than 2 hours.
Rescuers rescue dolphins. Photo courtesy of Wenling Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department
The reporter learned that after receiving calls for help from the public, local fire fighters and public security rushed to the scene for rescue. At that time, the dolphin was on the beach about 40 meters away from the shore. It was breathing rapidly and its surface skin was very dry. Immediately, the rescuers used foam mats to move the dolphin to an area with sufficient water, and splashed water on the dolphin from time to time to keep it moist.
Gu Tao, deputy director of the Wenling Chengdong Fire Rescue Station who participated in the on-site rescue, said that the dolphin had multiple small wounds on its back and was not in good condition. The dolphin was frightened due to being stranded for a long time, and the rescuers kept patting it to calm it down. Under everyone's care, the dolphin gradually regained its vitality.
Subsequently, staff from the Wenling Municipal Marine Economic Development Bureau arrived at the scene. Under their guidance, the on-site rescuers used a multi-functional stretcher to immobilize the dolphin, and then used foam pads. Six people worked together for more than half an hour to push the dolphin onto the ferry boat.
In order to rejuvenate the dolphins and avoid being stranded again, the ferry boat drove for nearly 20 minutes to transport the dolphins to the deep sea. At around 17:00 that day, three rescuers worked together to return the dolphin to the sea.
"The rough-toothed dolphin rescued this time is a national second-level protected animal and often appears along the coast of Taizhou. The dolphin was stranded on the tidal flats, possibly because its biological navigation system was disordered and it happened to be during the low tide period." said Ding Lifa, a researcher at the Aquatic Technology Promotion Station of Wenling Marine Economic Development Bureau. (over)