Dolphin stranded miles away from Gulf

Hurricane Rita didn't only displace people, it also stranded a dolphin four miles from its home in the Gulf of Mexico.

South Cameron, La., which is deep in the bayou, was directly in Rita's cross hairs. It's now accessible only by boat or helicopter.

While NBC News' Kerry Sanders was interviewing a returning homeowner, they heard a splash in a ditch next to the road.

A dolphin had been caught in the storm surge. When the waters receded, the animal had been trapped behind marsh grasses in just 4 feet of water.

With no one else around, Sanders jumped in the water and tried to clear a path through the marsh grasses.

Despite his best efforts, when the dolphin tried to make it through the grasses, it became tangled.

Sanders called the U.S. Navy, where officials said they would try and get to the dolphin's location.

Sanders planned to be there when the Navy and a civilian team of experts came to rescue the stranded animal.