AT LAST, his rescuer nurses him in her hands: after a four-day battle to save this stranded dolphin’s life, he finally could go home to sea.
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Twenty men and women worked all week to release a pod of dolphins trapped at least 30km upstream on the Hastings River.
Only two of the four ocean beauties survived the ordeal.
But yesterday, the surviving creatures were released into the deep waters off Port Macquarie’s Settlement Point.
The two freed dolphins, believed to be one male and one female, became trapped in a section of the Hastings River between Beechwood and Wauchope after swimming upstream and across a rocky sandbar at high tide.
One adult dolphin was found dead on Monday morning, while another adult dolphin – believed to be the mother of one of those released – died while being transported back to Port Macquarie.
Farmer Len Radnedge, whose property backs on to the section of the river where the dolphins were found, has helped with the complicated rescue operation since Monday.
Mr Radnedge helped transport the animals to Port Macquarie yesterday on foam mats in a special trailer.
“I have been involved in State Emergency Services and other volunteer services for many years,” Mr Radnedge said.
“But there’s nothing as special as working with a dolphin.”
The trailer, under police escort, crawled to Port Macquarie at 40km/h for their release.
About 30 onlookers surrounded the rescue team while the dolphins were released at Settlement Point.
One quickly swam out to a deeper part of the estuary but the younger mammal, believed to still be recovering from a sedative, remained in the shallow waters.
Coffs Harbour Pet Porpoise Pool vet Duan March was on hand to help with the animals’ wellbeing and was worried about the condition of the younger dolphin.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service media spokesman Lawrence Orel said the rescue operation, involving a team of 20 people from NPWS and the Organisation for Rescue and Research of Cetaceans Australia, was a great team effort.
It is believed the dolphins had survived in freshwater for up to four weeks.
Dolphins sighted in freshwater should be reported as soon as possible to NPWS on 6586 8300.
