A YOUNG Fraser dolphin was found in a shallow area at the mouth of the Butuanon River Tuesday morning, March 9, 2021.
Steve Tuñacao, a fisherman, said that while he was gathering oysters near the mouth of Butuanon River he heard a sound.
Upon checking, he saw a fin and thought it was a shark but as he checked closer he saw a dolphin.
He tried to bring the dolphin to deeper waters but it would still come back to the same area.
He sought the assistance of another fisherman to help rescue the dolphin.
Atty. John Eddu Ibañez, executive secretary of Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes said the Bantay Dagat-Mandaue received a report that a dolphin was seen in Pajara, to which the team responded quickly.
Ibañez said they immediately called the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to see if the dolphin could be released into the sea.
The dolphin was taken to the Mactan channel, one kilometer away from Punta Engaño, where it was released.
Louie Maestrado, head of the Animal Health Division of the Provincial Veterinary Office, also responded to the scene and looked into the possibility of why the dolphin went astray.
Maestrado said the dolphin may have been separated from a group of dolphins and got lost. (KFD/RSR)