On Tuesday 18 March the Two Oceans Aquarium received notification that a dusky dolphin had made its way into the Marina Basin next to the Aquarium.

The dolphin, estimated to be two years old, was closely observed and monitored in the hope that it would find its way back to the sea during the night, when the harbour becomes quiet.

Over the next couple of days, various attempts where made by Aquarium staff to catch or guide the dolphin out towards the open sea. These attempts all proved fruitless, and even when the dolphin moved towards the opening of the basin, it would duck back and continue its regular swimming pattern along the wall of the basin.

Apparently, this behaviour is common in wild dolphins that become trapped.

At one stage, the animal was right next to the Aquarium. Further attempts were made to get it out to sea, but it just returned to its swimming pattern. During this time, Aquarium staff were in constant contact with staff from Oceans and Coasts (Department of Environmental Affairs).

On Tuesday 25 March, an Oceans and Coasts team, armed with a large trek net, joined Vincent Calder on Aquarium 1, the Two Oceans Aquarium’s boat. The team managed to surround the dolphin with the net, and one of them jumped into the water to quickly bring it to the surface, so that it could breathe.

It was then gently lifted on to the boat and placed on a foam mattress, where the net was removed. Samples were taken while Vince took the boat out to sea. The dolphin was released about 1km off shore. The rescue team kept an eye on the mammal and watched as it swam, steadily and strongly, away from the coast.

Vincent managed to film a bit of the rescue:

Dusky dolphins (Langenorhynchus obscurus) are found in coastal waters of the southern hemisphere. They prefer cooler, inshore waters. They are the smallest dolphin species and measure between 1.6m and 2.1m.

Dusky dolphin numbers are declining due to increased human activity. In some areas, they are hunted for food and to be used as bait in the fishing industry. They are also often caught in large fishing nets, as fishermen target the same fish the dolphins hunt for food.

Thank you to everyone from the Two Oceans Aquarium and Oceans and Coasts who made this rescue possible.

Stay in touch: for daily Aquarium updates, follow us on Twitter (@2OceansAquarium) and become a fan on Facebook.