Brazilian Baywatch: Beachgoers save stranded dolphins (VIDEO)

A heavy current washed a pod of thirty dolphins onto a Brazilian beach east of Rio de Janeiro – a sight which in no time moved onlookers from compassion to action.

A dramatic amateur footage shows dozens of people running across the white sand to drag the stranded dolphins by their tails back into the deeper sea. Once all the mammals are secure, an enthusiastic cheer is heard.The video taken in Arraial do Cabo, a small beach town 170 km (around 106 miles) east of Rio de Janeiro, has been viewed over 1,100,000 times on YouTube in four days. The Brazilian daily O’Globo says strong local currents are a frequent trap for dolphins and other mammals.