Mumbai: Fireman and friends save 10 dolphins that were washed ashore

Fireman Abhishekh Gavankar 23 is a good swimmer and was confident he could safely return the dolphins to the waterWhen 10 Striped dolphins got stranded at Kolam beach plenty of people stood and stared but no one was willing to step into the notoriously strong currents to help the creatures It was a local fireman and his friends who braved the rough waters to rescue the marine mammals putting a happy spin on what could have turned out to be a wildlife tragedyAyaz Shaikh Rahul Bhosle and Krishna Rane lift a dolphin and send it back into the sea PicsHanif PatelNeither burning buildings nor rough seas seem to scare fireman Abhishekh Gavankar 23 who works for the Palghar Fire BrigadeAlso Read This is the worlds rarest dolphinOn Wednesday he and his friends had gone to Kolam beach in Virar to play football but they stopped short when they saw 10 dolphins stranded on the shoreAbhishekh did not even think twice before rushing to their aid even though the beach is infamous for drowning incidentsJust last month three youths had drowned there Illegal sand mining has made the beach even more dangerous leaving the sand there unstable and pockmarked with sinkholesGasping for breathBut being a good swimmer Abhishekh was confident that he could navigate the choppy waters and told his friends he was going to rescue the dolphinsldquoThe dolphins were gasping for breath If we had not acted quickly there was every possibility that the dolphins would have diedrdquo he saidldquoTwo of the bigger ones were in shallow water but still could not move while the rest were on the sand The tide was low and we assumed that the dolphins must have come to the beach during high tide and got trapped thererdquo added AbhishekhRescue effortSince he was the best swimmer on the team he dealt with the bigger dolphins pushing them into the sea one by one Meanwhile his friends mdash Jenil Bari 22 Pranay Gavankar 26 Ayaz Shaikh 26 Rahul Bhosle 22 and Joy Drsquocunha 41 ndash pushed the smaller dolphins a few metres into the sea as well and after which Abhishekh swam with the creatures to lead them to the deeper watersldquoThe dolphins were heavy and it was impractical to carry them towards the water So I rolled them towards the waves and in the meantime I asked my friends to get the smaller ones closer to the water toordquo he recalledRead Story Mumbai Another dolphin washes ashore at Gorai beachHis friend Bari added ldquoEach one weighed about 40 kg We decided to split in two groups and pass the dolphins to him one after another By the time we released the sixth dolphin into the sea all of us were exhausted But if we had rested even for a minute the other dolphins would have lost their lives The entire operation was done in less than 40 minutes Looking at our efforts few more locals joined in and they helped us send back two dolphins into the seardquoldquoSaving lives is an amazing feeling I cannot forget the sight of Dolphins swimming back into the deep water I feel so proud and happyrdquo concluded Abhishekh who saved the lives of 10 dolphins all in a dayrsquos work