Featured Image Credit:Regi Varghese
By: Alice Morris
A young dolphin calf has been reunited with its mother in the wild after becoming trapped in a public swimming area along the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.
The dolphin is believed to have jumped into the enclosed area at Tallebudgera Creek while hunting fish during the previous evening’s “super moon.” The young dolphin is estimated to be around 2 years old.
Andy Mulville, SeaWorld’s marine mammal trainer said, “At first I don’t even think it realized it was in too much trouble, but I think a few calls from a mum and it realized that it’s got into a position where it shouldn’t have.”
Beachgoers noticed the unexpected guest in the swimming area and alerted the Gold Coast City Council and SeaWorld around 5:45 AM. Some members of the public said they watched the calf chase fish through the shallows and onto the beach, apparently unconcerned or unaware of his own imprisonment.
The swimming enclosure, marked by a long net extending from the shoreline, was pulled back around 10 AM to give the dolphin a 30-meter gap through which it could escape back into the ocean and be reunited with its mother.
“A few calls from her and the calf was finally listening to mum and swam through after about twenty minutes.”
A crowd gathered on the beach to watch the dolphin exit, although little could be seen of the calf when it finally darted away.
“A little uneventful for the crowd but they were very happy once they got the report that the calf was back with the mum,” said Mulville, who also added, “Everyone was very happy on the beach.”
The rescue mission serves as an important reminder to boaters to slow down when navigating in the busy waterways surrounding the beach. With so much marine life in the area, it would be easy to hit a dolphin or another marine animal while driving too fast.