Stranded dolphin rescued with canoe

RIVERVIEW, New Brunswick, April 23 (UPI) -- A dolphin stuck in river mud in eastern Canada was rescued by a fisheries officer using a borrowed canoe.

The incident occurred Thursday in the Petitcodiac River in New Brunswick, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. The Petitcodiac below Moncton has a tidal bore that causes dramatic changes in water level twice a day as the tide rushes in and out.

Sandra and Jim Davis, who live in Riverview across from Moncton, told the broadcaster they saw the dolphin stranded by the ebbing tide lying on its side with its head in the mud. Firefighters were unable to reach the animal, but a Department of Fisheries officer was able to get to it after the tide turned using a canoe belonging to one of the Davises' neighbors.

The officer and neighbor loaded the dolphin into the canoe. It was released downstream.

The tidal bore became much less pronounced after a causeway serving as both dam and bridge was built between Moncton and Riverview in 1968. Last year officials decided to open the causeway gates to allow salmon to move freely upriver.

"If they're going to keep the gates open, they should have some kind of system where they can perform quick rescue for individuals that are stuck in the mud," Jim Davis said.