This is the heartwarming moment a blind dolphin was carried back into the water after being stranded on a riverbank in Pakistan.

Aamir Malik was fishing with friends when they saw the rare Indus River dolphin struggling in the mud in Lahore on November 1.

At first, they thought it was just a huge fish trapped on the low tides and they prepared to catch it with a net. However, it turned out to be one of the blind dolphin species living in the river.

The men rushed to the creature and helped each other to carry it back to the water before the mammal started swimming into the depths.

Aamir said: ''We decided to help the poor creature after we saw it. The dolphin let us hold it and did not resist. I think it understood that we are trying to save it.''

Indus River dolphins, also known as the South Asian river dolphin, are classified as endangered with fewer than 2,000 left living on the 750 mile stretch of the water.

They adapted to life in the muddy river after the ocean has dried up hundreds of years ago and are functionally blind feeding on catfish, prawns, and carp which they hunt by sensing echoes.