Rugby legend Percy Montgomery rescues stranded dolphin calf on Cape Town beach
CAPE TOWN, South Africa - A famous rugby player became a hero after he saved a dolphin calf stranded on a beach near Cape Town, Africa, earlier this month.
Springbok Rugby World Cup champion Percy Montgomery was filmed picking up the beached dolphin and returning it to the water in two separate attempts.
The dolphin was then seen successfully swimming away.
Percy Montgomery during the South Africa rugby team training session at Hyde Park High School on August 16, 2010 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Duif du Toit / Gallo Images/Getty Images)
Eyewitness Doris van Niekerk recorded the incident.
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Single dolphin strandings can occur when the animal is old, sick, injured, and/or disoriented, according to Whale and Dolphin Conservation.
Montgomery has held records for both caps and points as a rugby player, and is known for contributing to South Africa’s victory against England during the 2007 Rugby World Cup final.