The Japanese have displayed some of the most heroic efforts in aid of fellow man during this, one of the hardest experiences they have had to endure. Now, we’re happy to bring you an animal and man story. No dog, just a small dolphin in a rice field. That needed rescuing. Brace yourselves, this is literally fantastic!

Do remember too that this rescue has taken place quite some time after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck on March 11th.

Ryo Taira, a pet-shop owner who has been rescuing animals abandoned after the earthquake and tsunami explained that the dolphin was spotted in the flooded field about 2km from the coast.

A man passing by said he had found the dolphin in the rice paddy and that we had to do something to save it.

Taira, 32, found the dolphin struggling in the shallow seawater on Tuesday. He tried to catch it using a net but after this didn’t work he waded in to the field, which luckily hadn’t been sown with rice yet.

He then managed to get hold of it and cradled the 1.2m (four foot) animal in his arms while it settled. “It was pretty weak by then, which was probably the only reason we could catch it,” he said.

Taira and some friends wrapped the dolphin in wet towels and drove it back to the sea, where they then set it free. The dolphin appeared to perk up when it was back in the Pacific, according to Taira.

“I don’t know if it will live, but it’s certainly a lot better than dying in a rice paddy,” it’s claimed Taira told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

Either way, this is very cool and we hope the little guy made it in the end.

[Source: Reuters]