A dolphin stuck in shallow water on the beach at Krotirya, near Pomorie, has been rescued. Municipal teams, staff from the RIEW environmental agency in Burgas and volunteers helped guide the animal into deeper water until it swam off on its own.

Beachgoers spotted the dolphin and called for help after seeing it could not get out of the shallows by itself. Mayor Ivan Alexiev said the animal had no wounds on its body — it had simply ended up close to shore and could not find its way back out.

As soon as the calls came in, people from the municipality and from RIEW Burgas headed to the beach. Staff from Pomorie fishing port joined them, along with specialists from the Wildlife Rescue Centre and the volunteers already on scene. Together they pushed the dolphin toward deeper water until it finally swam off on its own.

"A dolphin in trouble on the beach at Krotirya was rescued yesterday after teams from Pomorie municipality and RIEW Burgas responded to calls," Alexiev wrote. "The dolphin had no visible injuries but was stuck in the shallow water near the shore."

The mayor thanked everyone who helped, saying it was the teamwork between officials and people on the beach that saved the animal unharmed. "Thanks to all the volunteers on the beach, to our colleagues from Pomorie fishing port, the Wildlife Rescue Centre and the regional inspectorate for working together to get the sea animal into deep water and save it," he added.

Similar cases have happened before. In 2022, another dolphin got stuck near the shore on the southern Black Sea coast. Rescuers returned it to the sea and said the animal stayed calm during the rescue and swam off as soon as it was freed. In Pomorie, there was also a case where a dolphin was lifted out by boat from the gap between two breakwaters.

It's not clear why this dolphin ended up in the shallows at Krotirya. Nothing suggests it was hurt or that people were to blame. Unlike other cases of dolphins found dead along the southern Black Sea coast, this time quick action ended well. Back in July this year, people found a dead dolphin on the beach at Kraymorie and alerted the authorities.