Two adult male dolphins were rescued and released by park rangers into the Serpentine River after being stuck in a Mandurah Lake. The bottlenose dolphins were found stranded in the lake on Sunday.

The cetaceans were stuck for three days before Department of Parks and Wildlife employees stepped in due to the obvious signs of distress shown by the animals. Melissa Evans, Parks and Wildlife marine park coordinator, said that the dolphins found their way to the lake probably from chasing fish. "Both dolphins were healthy but a bit tired after several days of being in the lake, which had become too shallow for them to navigate back to deeper water," said Evans.

The three-hour rescue operation took place on Tuesday and enlisted the help of local canoe club members. About 10 people helped in hauling the 300-kg animal into a trailer to be moved to the Serpentine River. Evans said that catching the second dolphin was difficult.

"This dolphin avoided the net and broke free when the marine rangers initially tried to grab hold, but we eventually were able to get it into a sling,” she said. She explained that dolphins are smart creatures that learn quickly, which is why the second rescue was a challenge.

While working out on the second rescue, the first dolphin was hauled into a trailer 10 kilometres towards Serpentine River with the help of a boat ramp. The second dolphin rescued had attracted spectators, who followed the team as the animal was being released into the water.

There are many cases of dolphins getting stranded in shallow waters. Rescuing one should always involve help from the experts because after all, these creatures are still wild marine mammals.

Since the successful rescue operation, neither of the Mandurah dolphins was seen scouting nearby. “It was a pretty concerted effort from everybody involved,” said Evans.

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