LUCKNOW: An eight feet long pregnant fresh water dolphin was rescued from the currently shallow Sharda Canal around Mohanlalganj area on Sunday morning by the UP forest department and the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) India team. After a four hour rescue operation, the dolphin was transported and released in the Ghaghra river flowing around the Tappe Sipah village in Bahraich district.It was on Saturday that villagers in Mohanlalganj area spotted the dolphin that was struggling for life. The information was immediately transferred to the forest department which got in touch with TSA that works with aquatic animals, seeking their expertise. A recce of the area was then done by the team on Saturday night."It took us two failed attempts to finally rescue the dolphin. A wet blanket was put on it all through the transportation time so that the moisture is maintained and water was continuously poured. We kept checking the pulse and breathing for any signs of distress," said TSA researcher Arunima Singh , part of the team.The rescue team included sub-divisional forest officer of Mohanlalganj, Ayodhya Prashad, range officer, RK Singh , deputy ranger of Kukrail Gharial Centre, Sureshpal Singh, TSA country director Shailendra Singh and TSA's team of Rishika Dubla, Surendar Kumar Yadav.A similar dolphin was rescued from another part of the Sharda canal last year in October. The aquatic creatures are said to flow into the canal during heavy monsoon time from the area around Chahlari Ghat Bridge over river Ghaghra in Bahraich district. It is said to be a junction from where the Ghaghra river and the Sharda canal dissect.