A rare rough-toothed dolphin, Jiangjiang, was released back to sea earlier this week, two months after it beached itself and was rescued in south China’s Guangdong Province.
The 2.2-meter male dolphin was found stranded on the coast of Heisha Bay in the city of Jiangmen on May 3. It was suffering breathing troubles, according to Yang Naicai, a vet who joined the rescue operation.
Rescuers checked the dolphin’s breathing, gave an injection of antibiotics, and provided food and medicine to help it regain its strength.
The animal was housed in a pool designated for dolphin rescue at the Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve.
“We maintained round the clock monitoring, hoping for a miracle,” said Chen Hailiang, from the reserve.
The dolphin, which weighs around 100 kg, was released back to the sea on Thursday as its physical condition had returned to normal.
Although the rough-toothed dolphin, a national second class protected species, can be found in deep tropical, subtropical and temperate waters around the world, it is a rare visitor to Chinese coastal waters.
In 2014, a rough-toothed dolphin stranded in Guangdong died despite rescue efforts.
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