A stranded bottle-nose dolphin was rescued in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and was out of danger on Wednesday, according to local experts.

The male dolphin, weighing 250 kg and measuring 2.55 meters in length, was found beached in shallow water near Shatian Town by a fisherman at 7?PM Tuesday. Experts from the fishery office of the autonomous region hurried to the spot.

"The water around the huge animal had been tinted red. The dolphin's body above sea water had gone dry and was covered with wounds," said Nanning zoo official Yang Caichang, who has worked as a vet for over 20 years. He said the dolphin had difficulty breathing when it was spotted. "It could have died at any moment."

After an hour's treatment including injections and an intravenous drip, the physical condition of the dolphin improved and they transported the animal to Nanning Zoo with a yacht.

On Wednesday afternoon the dolphin began devouring small sea fish. "It is eating, which is a good sign that it is out of danger," Yang said.

Experts believe that the dolphin may have become stranded after an earthquake in the sea or because of illness. They are hoping to discover the answer.

It has not been decided where the dolphin will go after it recovers. "If it is in good shape, we will release it back into the sea; if not, it will remain in the zoo," said Yang.

The bottle-nose dolphin is listed as an endangered animal and stranded dolphins are hard to save, according to the vet.

(Xinhua News Agency September 21, 2006)