A dolphin struggling to stay afloat with a net wrapped around its tail was freed in Biscayne Bay after residents of North Bay Village noticed its trouble and called for help.
Ahmed Raul Perez told 7News, speaking in Spanish, that his wife first saw the animal from the window of their apartment on Wednesday afternoon. The couple, who love animals, sensed the dolphin was not behaving normally and decided to take a closer look.
Perez sent up a drone to get a better view, and the footage showed the dolphin needed assistance. "He wasn't swimming right. When I looked closer, I saw he had something on his tail," Perez said. "His tail was underwater and his head was bobbing above the water."
The couple then called 911. Video of the dolphin appears to show its tail caught in a net that was making it hard for the animal to keep itself at the surface.
Perez said he feared the outcome could have been fatal without quick action. "He was sinking, he couldn't keep floating because whatever was holding him down was heavy and it was sinking him. If the police hadn't come, he probably would have died," he said.
Marine Patrol units from North Bay Village and the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office reached the scene in Biscayne Bay within minutes. Because the dolphin could only be seen clearly from above, Perez used his drone to guide the boats toward it. "The cops were on their boats and you could only see the dolphin from above. I pointed it out with the drone and other neighbors also helped," he said.
After locating the animal, several members of the Marine Patrol Unit dove into the water and removed the netting from its tail.
Once free, the dolphin swam off into deeper water, giving Perez a striking final shot from his drone. He said he was moved by the outcome. "I got teary eyed, super happy," Perez said.
North Bay Village officials say the dolphin appears to be uninjured.
