About 200 stranded dolphins rescued in Manila Bay

[Coventina]

Source: Associated Press

ORION, Philippines (AP) — At least 200 melon-head dolphins flocked to shallow waters of Manila Bay on Tuesday, prompting a massive rescue by hundreds of volunteers and fishermen who used their boats and hands to drive them back to deep seas.

The unusual occurrence may have been triggered by a sea quake that could have damaged the dolphins' eardrums and disoriented them, or the pod could have been following a sick or injured leader, Malcolm Sarmiento, director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, said in a telephone interview.

He said the dolphins — between 200 and 300 of them — were spotted about a mile (1.6 kilometers) off shore, swimming back and forth between Pilar and Orion townships in Bataan province.

Fishermen and villagers trooped to the beach and waded into the chest-deep water, clapping their hands and hitting the surface to drive the dolphins away. More than 20 boats with their engines shut guided the animals to the open sea.



Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gwQnOgtXAvxMd2G7qHsmpGqw8tRQD968IRG80

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A little bit of happy news for a change...

[The Stranger]

1. Well done! I wish I were there to celebrate with them.

Bravo, bravo, bravo!