A dramatic rescue operation has saved a baby dolphin that was washed ashore on the remote western coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. The young marine mammal was found stranded by waves from the Sea of Okhotsk in the Sobolevsky district, prompting a swift and compassionate response from a local resident.
The incident was announced by Andrey Vorovsky, the head of the Sobolevsky district, via a post on the Russian social media platform VKontakte. He framed the event poignantly, noting it occurred on the anniversary of another significant marine rescue. “The Sea of Okhotsk decided to give another ‘gift’ – leaving a cute baby dolphin on its shore,” Vorovsky wrote, drawing a parallel to a past event that captivated the region.
The first person to render aid to the stranded calf was Alexey Velichko, the very same individual who had played a key role in a widely publicized orca rescue in October 2024. This earlier event saw an entire family of killer whales become trapped in a coastal lagoon near the village of Ustevoye, sparking a massive rescue effort.
The 2024 orca crisis became a national story in Russia, with citizens across the country following the fate of the marine giants. Dozens of volunteers and specialists worked together in a successful, community-driven operation to save the animals. The rescue of the dolphin calf one year later highlights an enduring local commitment to wildlife preservation in Russia’s Pacific territory.