Stranded dolphins rescued

Two dolphins stranded in shallow water off the coast of Shanghai's Chongming Island were freed yesterday into the Yangtze River.

One dolphin about two meters long and weighing 150 kilograms was found stranded in the waters of Beibao Port on Tuesday night. The other dolphin measuring about 1.6 meters was seen trying to help the other's head up by nudging it, witnesses said.

It failed and also became stranded as the tide fell. It made a whining sound, witnesses said.

Police said the dolphins, a male and a female, were struggling when they arrived. They approached the dolphins with a small boat and tried to drag them into deeper water but failed because of the ebbing tide.

Police splashed water onto them and cleaned the sludge from their noses to keep them alive.

They finally used bed sheets and foam boards to wrap up the dolphins and moved them onto the shore with the help of more than 10 fishermen.

The dolphins were then transported to a small river nearby.

Yesterday, they were transported on boats to the Yangtze River and released, said an official surnamed Qian with the Chongming County fishing governance authorities.

The dolphins likely came from the East China Sea and got lost, said Qian.