YARMOUTH PORT — International Fund for Animal Welfare rescuers helped a bottlenose dolphin and a gray seal out of potentially dangerous situations Wednesday.

Rescuers herded the lone dolphin into deeper waters after it swam into a shallow estuary off the southeast corner of Lieutenant Island, said Kathryn Rose, assistant stranding coordinator for IFAW. Rescuers responded to the area and paddled around the marsh in kayaks to assess the dolphin's health, she said.

Using the kayaks and paddles, the rescuers were able to lead the dolphin out of the estuary, which was just over three feet deep in places, she said. Rose said she wasn't sure how the dolphin got into the estuary, but it may have been disoriented or it could have followed a fish into the shallower waters.

North of Lighthouse Beach in Chatham, rescuers saved a gray seal that was badly entangled in fishing net, said Brian Sharp, program manager at IFAW. Rescuers sedated the male seal with a dart so they could treat him. The seal appeared to have been entangled in the net for months, he said.

Rescuers removed the netting and treated a severe laceration around the animal's neck, he said. They gave the animal antibiotics and released him in the same place where he was found, Sharp said.