It was a foggy Wednesday morning when Naude Dreyer, driving with a client along a beach in southwestern Africa, saw what appeared to be a shark on the sand. It is a baby Benguela dolphin lying idly on the beach. Sensing the baby dolphin’s distress, he comes right away to its aid.
When they drew closer, the pair realized the animal stranded on Paaltjies Beach, near the Namibian city of Walvis Bay, was a young Benguela dolphin.
“He was moving a bit and I immediately knew he was alive … and immediately stopped to help him out,” Mr. Dreyer told.
“I was just doing what was the right thing to do. I couldn’t leave him there.”
After being placed in the water, the dolphin became disoriented for a few moments. Then, he realized he was at the home and began to swim away, but not before seeming to wave goodbye with his tail to his rescuer.
In a Facebook post on his kayak shop’s page, Dreyer said,
“After a quick assessment and measurements, I attempted to get him swimming again. I was not very hopeful, but as soon as he got into the water and realized where he was he took off like a bullet… I’ll do a drive past the same area again later just to make sure he hasn’t returned again.”
Benguela dolphins only live on the southwest coast of Africa and their total population is unknown. But whether or not the species faces challenges, Dreyer’s actions were definitely heroic. Thanks to Naude, this dolphin is now free to once again live in his natural habitat!