BY SHANNON CONNELLAN From Mashable

Reporters tend to keep their distance from the story, but when a baby dolphin needed help, one reporter rose to the occasion.

NBC News reporter Kerry Sanders helped rescue a stranded baby dolphin on Marco Island, Florida during a storm surge caused by Hurricane Irma. Sanders’ rescue attempt was broadcast live on Today.

Today reports that the dolphin had been brought back to the beach by a local after being found washed all the way to a sidewalk.

Sanders reports the surges as measuring 4 feet, enough to wash wildlife ashore. After finding the exhausted dolphin on the beach, Sanders teamed up with a passing tourist to help it back into the Gulf of Mexico.

The baby dolphin, who proved pretty heavy for two grown men to deliver back to the ocean, was nursed and carried into the oncoming waves — not an easy hurdle for a tired baby dolphin to tackle.

It took about 10-15 minutes for the pair to get the dolphin into deep enough water for it to gain supported swimming momentum.

Sanders stands on the shore cheering the dolphin on. “Come on buddy, you can do it,” he cheers. “It’s a struggle. I see him trying, he really wants to make it out there, he’s just really disoriented no doubt.”

Sanders came across several other dolphins along the beach, including an adult needing a group of local Florida residents to assist in its rescue:

Today pointed out Sanders’ lengthy career in hurricane reporting (he’s covered over 60) and the fact that he’s been part of dolphin rescue stories before, so serendipitously, he knew how to perform a rescue.

Precisely where Sanders was standing hours earlier, a group of Florida residents rescued yet another dolphin, picked up by Fox 4:

Looks like Sanders has started something.

Follow Twitter:
MJP 🏁 🌏 @Indy_Mode
Reporter Kerry Sanders is an excellent human. He’s stopped being a reporter 4 NBC & is trying to return a beached baby dolphin to the sea.

Saving a baby dolphin on live television is the absolute apex of live reporting @KerryNBC ! Nicely done! That 🐬 dolphin was a cutie, too! ❤️

— Elizabeth Meggs (@elizabethmeggs) September 12, 2017

David Salituro @DavidSalituro
My new favourite reporter is @KerryNBC for saving that baby dolphin while reporting on the hurricane at the same time.

For more on this story and video go to: http://mashable.com/2017/09/12/rescue-baby-dolphin-nbc-kerry-sanders-hurricane-irma/?utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed#BFUk88_jAmq7