Lignano Sabbiadoro (Italy) - A small dolphin has strayed into the shallow waters of a lagoon in the north of Italy . Unfortunately, the water was so shallow that it became stranded and had to be rescued.

According to an X-Post from the local fire department , the cute marine mammal 's excursion ended in the lagoon last Sunday afternoon.

A cyclist had spotted the animal and immediately alerted the fire department. With combined forces, the helpers managed to free the dolphin after several hours.

Among them were not only firemen and women, but also employees of the WWF Miramare Marine Protected Area and volunteers from neighboring Slovenia.

The rescue took a full six hours, as the marine mammal was stuck with one fin deep in the mud.

Once the rescuers had freed the animal, they secured it to a small inflatable boat and took it far enough out to sea so that the little dolphin could not make such a faux pas again.