A 300kg dolphin stranded on the coast of Quang Ngai Province on July 28, prompting local residents to make repeated attempts to return it to deeper waters.
Nguyen Van Thanh, head of Tan Hy Village in Van Tuong Commune, said residents covered the dolphin with towels and continuously poured water over its body to keep it moist after it became stranded.
Residents cover the dolphin with cloths and pour water over it to keep it moist (Photo: Nguyen Ngoc).
At about 11.45 am, villagers found the 2.6-metre-long dolphin near the embankment of the Tra Bong River. A group of residents worked together to push the animal back into deeper water, but it was too weak to swim and was carried ashore again. The dolphin also had several visible abrasions.
Thanh said the dolphin was still alive by late afternoon but no longer appeared capable of returning to the sea. If it dies, local people plan to bury it in accordance with traditional customs.
Vietnamese fishermen traditionally refer to dolphins and whales as ca ong, believing the animals are guardian spirits that protect fishing boats at sea. When a dolphin or whale washes ashore and dies, coastal communities typically hold a ceremonial burial and inter the animal in shrines built along the shoreline.
Quang Ngai Province is home to dozens of shrines dedicated to dolphins and whales. On Ly Son Island, two of Vietnam's largest preserved whale skeletons are housed, measuring 22 metres and 18 metres in length.
