Four American tourists rescued an injured dolphin beached on the sand in southern Thailand.

Garfield Angove and his friends were walking along Nai Yang Beach in Phuket to watch the sunrise when they noticed the stranded marine animal lying on its side on the shore on September 1.

The creature had what appeared to be minor abrasions on its head as it lay motionless on the ground.

Garfield and his friends then carefully carried the animal along the beach toward deeper waters.

Footage shows how the Good Samaritans tried several times to release the animal, but it still struggled to swim away.

Garfield said that the dolphin had trouble maintaining its equilibrium, as it was disorientated from being on the beach out of its natural environment.

A nearby Thai fisherman who saw the group handling the dolphin later offered his assistance and told the men to flip it upright.

The rescuers then turned the dolphin onto its belly, allowing it to regain its balance and swim back to its home.

Garfield said: 'We were delighted when we saved the dolphin. He made it back out to the open ocean and was safe.'

Local residents had previously reported another injured dolphin that washed ashore in Phuket on August 22.

The male striped dolphin had wounds along its side and dorsal fin, and was discovered in a state of exhaustion. It was taken to the Sireetarn Marine Endangered Animal Rescue Centre to be treated.

There are three species of dolphins found in Thailand's waters: the Irrawaddy dolphin, the spinner dolphin, and the striped dolphin.

However, they are facing a number of threats, including habitat loss, pollution, overfishing and intrusive tourism in the form of dolphin-watching trips, which can disturb dolphins and disrupt their natural behavior.