Annapolis Valley community gathers to help pod of dolphins trapped in mud
Melissa Pineo and her family noticed about a dozen white-sided dolphins in the water near Pineo's home. They were enjoying the moment Sunday morning until the tide went out and the dolphins got stuck.
"More and more of them were getting stuck in the mud and my partner and my dad and a couple other people from the community jumped in and kind of pulled them down into the water," said Pineo.
Pineo said the dolphins were making high-pitched sounds of distress. Her mom, Kim, started making calls to anybody who might be able to help, including 911.
A group of people tried to help the dolphins, using their bare hands and even pieces of rope. As word spread, more people arrived to offer assistance.
"It wasn't the way I planned to spend my Sunday, but it was really cool to see the community come together like that," said Melissa Pineo.
Members of the Marine Animal Response Society also responded.
They said it became easier for the dolphins to escape after the tide came back in.
"We were able to work with a local marine and diving company who had a boat to take some of our responders out," said Tonya Wimmer, the organization's executive director.
"We had the right equipment and everything else to … try to wiggle [the dolphins] out of the mud."
Wimmer said there were also concerns about people getting stuck in the mud as well. The Canning fire department arrived to help with that.
Eventually, the dolphins were corralled back into deep water using the dive boat.
"They're overheating, their ears are kind of not sensing where upright is yet," said Wimmer. "But between them and the local company with the vessel, they were able to encourage the animals to go back out and head out into the proper part of the [Bay of Fundy]."
Wimmer says this type of event is common in the area as marine mammals move to find food.
"They may not be able to figure out how deep the water is and just get caught out when the tide goes down," said Wimmer.
Kim Pineo said her family members don't regret their efforts.
"They were covered in mud, but it was quite an event. But ... they all said they would do it again even though they're quite tired and sore today," he said.
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