A pair of friends received quite the surprise when one of their dogs spotted an endangered seabird during a walk on a United Kingdom beach, leading to a dramatic rescue.
As detailed by the Northumberland Gazette, Aleks Sle was strolling along Craster Beach with her dog, Dante, and friend Alex Farley when Dante's hunting instincts apparently kicked in.
"Suddenly he just paused, and he did his little pointer pose with his paw up and just wouldn't budge. I didn't see what he was seeing, but he just refused to move," Aleks told the Gazette. "We thought: 'Is that a paper bag? Is it a bit of rubbish?' Then Alex said, 'I think it's a bird.' … I went to check closer, and he was just sitting in the sand."
As the friends learned, Dante's discovery wasn't any bird. It was a puffin. Once thriving in Europe, the adorable creatures commonly depicted in children's books are now in trouble, having been listed as endangered on the continent since 2015.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, extreme weather (which has become more frequent and severe because of a warming planet) is one of the key threats, destroying their nests and causing mass mortality events. Invasive species, unsustainable fishing practices, and marine pollution are factors as well, while rising global temperatures have impacted their food supply.
After realizing the puffin was in trouble, the friends didn't hesitate to take action. They called Blyth Wildlife Rescue so someone could transfer the bird to a rehabilitation center — following expert advice that recommends calling in professionals for animal rescues.
However, as they waited, there was a problem: There were a number of dogs on the beach, and Dante, too, was dangerously curious about the creature, now named Inferno.
So, while Alex held Dante's leash, Aleks used her hoodie to pick up Inferno and cradled the puffin until a rescue volunteer arrived.
"He was quite alert, and he was trying to beat me through the hoodie, so I'm hoping it's a good outcome," Aleks told the Gazette.
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