Kathy and Jeannine: Dolphin rescuers

You never know when a relaxing stroll on the beach might turn into a rescue operation.

Vacationing in St. George’s Island, Fla.,'Berg retirees Kathy Venema and Jeannine Curns happened upon an injured bottlenose dolphin during their morning beach walk around 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 4. The dolphin had a cut on its side and a torn dorsal fin and tail fin.

The Good Samaritans helped turn the dolphin on its belly and kept it wet until wildlife officers arrived about four hours later.

Kathy reports that two women from the Gulf World Maritime Institute arrived about 11:30 a.m. They took blood samples from the dolphin before placing him onto a sling to load into their vehicle for transport.

“The team leader told us that is was an older male and she estimated that unfortunately, it had only a 15 percent chance of survival,” Kathy said. “At last we did what we could.

“It made for an interesting morning activity.”