"It Takes a Village": Risso's Dolphin Rescued at Silversands Beach by Community Volunteers
- A Risso's dolphin washed ashore at Silversands Beach in Betty's Bay and was found struggling with its blowhole partially submerged
- Pete Oxford and a group of community volunteers, including firefighters, worked together to dig a trench and carry the dolphin back to sea
- Volunteers kept the dolphin afloat for nearly 30 minutes until it swam unassisted into deeper water
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Source: Facebook
A stranded dolphin on a Western Cape beach brought a community together on 17 August 2026, when residents of Betty's Bay dropped everything to save its life.
Pete Oxford was among the first on the scene after a Risso's dolphin was spotted ashore at Silversands Beach. It had initially been reported as a baby humpback whale. When Oxford arrived, the dolphin was lying on its side with its blowhole partly underwater, a life-threatening situation for any cetacean.
Ruan Van Zyl helped free a trapped fin and repositioned the animal, while Ria Kotze also made her way down to assist. From there, the effort grew quickly.
Betty's Bay rallies to the rescue
Community volunteers began digging a trench from where the dolphin lay all the way to the water's edge. Volunteer firefighters arrived carrying wide webbing straps, which were used to lift and carry the animal safely to the shoreline.
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Once in the water, the dolphin still needed support. Ruan waded in and physically guided it for close to 30 minutes, keeping it stable until it could move on its own. Those who remained on the beach watched as it swam further out and did not turn back.
Dolphins and whales can beach themselves for several reasons, including illness, injury, navigational confusion in shallow waters, or disorientation caused by loud underwater noise from shipping traffic or sonar. A weakened or disoriented animal that cannot self-rescue will typically not survive long without intervention.
Oxford was candid about the outcome.
"Thank you everyone who came out and assisted," he wrote. "Left alone it certainly would have died." He added that the dolphin now had roughly a 50/50 chance of survival, noting that "no news is good news."
Betty's Bay community reacts
People in the comments section of the Facebook group were full of praise for everyone involved:
@Jane Hoskyn said:
"Incredible. It takes a village! Well done and thank you to all the volunteers who value the wildlife in our biosphere!"
@Elžbieta Ryško urged caution for future rescues:
"Thanks to everyone who cared and showed up. But please no dogs next time! This poor animal was already beyond stressed, and having this many people AND 5 dogs running around just gives it fewer chances to survive. They can die from the stress."
@Lucy Fur offered a balanced take:
"So glad Pete, with all his knowledge and experience, was there, as well as Ruan! I understand that masses of people and dogs would have stressed the animal, but only a few 'trained experts' would not have been able to pull this off on their own."
@Melissa Van Zyl simply wrote:
"And I think to myself... what a wonderful world 🌎"
@Adele Scheepers Lamprecht added:
"Thanks, everyone. Really showing the spirit of a Biosphere."
See the original post from Pete Oxford on the Betty's Bay Conservancy Facebook group below:
More animal-related stories making waves
- Briefly News recently reported on a Cape Town snake handler who calmly rescued a deadly black spitting cobra.
- A snake spotted standing upright beside a road at night left passing motorists stunned and South Africans wondering what they were witnessing.
- Meanwhile, a tiny hermit crab named Shell-vis Presley got an unexpected helping hand after accidentally travelling from the Eastern Cape to Johannesburg and needing a special flight home.
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Source: Briefly News
