SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - After nearly a day of recovering at SeaWorld San Diego, a dolphin was returned to the wild on Sunday.
The dolphin first became a spectacle on Thursday when he became stuck in a canal off San Diego Bay. The dolphin was freed, but he became stuck again Saturday in thick mud while chasing food as the tide went out.
See related story: [SeaWorld rescues trapped dolphin from San Diego Bay]
SeaWorld Rescue, San Diego Lifeguards and witnesses stepped in to help the dolphin.
“It's going on my top five most memorable rescues so far. If he had gotten stranded any further out, the outcome might have been different," said SeaWorld Rescuer Jody Westberg.
Rescuers had to wade through waist high mud to reach the dolphin and then slowly get him into a truck.
"We grabbed a log, laid it out in the mud and got him on his belly until he could get some help," said DJ McDougle.
The dolphin was temporarily housed in a tank at SeaWorld where it underwent a series of tests. After getting a clean bill of health and cleaned of the mud, the dolphin was placed back in the ocean. The dolphin earned the distinction of being only the third dolphin rescued by SeaWorld that had recovered enough to return to the wild.