A dolphin was struggling in Biscayne Bay when a couple in North Bay Village, Florida, noticed something was wrong. From their apartment, they could see the animal moving unusually. Ahmed Raul Perez Prieto used a drone to get a closer look, and its camera showed something wrapped around the dolphin’s tail. The couple called 911.
The Oct. 28 rescue brought police boats, a sheriff’s marine unit and nearby residents into one coordinated response. North Bay Village police and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit deputies arrived within minutes, according to WSVN. Perez kept the drone trained on the dolphin to help responders locate it, while other neighbors pointed toward the animal. Marine officers entered the water and removed the material from its tail. The dolphin swam away.
The accounts differ on what had caught the animal. WSVN described it as a net; NBC 6 reported that the couple saw a black line or fishing wire. Neither outlet identified who owned it, how it reached the bay, or how long it had been there. The video documents a rescue, but it does not answer those questions.
North Bay Village officials told WSVN the dolphin appeared uninjured. That was an initial visual assessment, not a reported veterinary examination. The animal’s species was not identified, and the reports do not describe medical follow-up or tracking after it swam away. The outcome reported by responders and witnesses was that it was free and moving on its own.
For Perez and his wife, watching the dolphin get free was emotional. Perez told WSVN he got teary-eyed and was very happy to see the animal saved. Their reported role was to notice the unusual movement, call for help and help the marine units see where the dolphin was. The reports say officers handled the physical disentanglement.
That is the useful distinction for anyone who spots an entangled marine mammal: report it, keep a safe distance and let qualified responders decide what to do. NOAA Fisheries says entanglement can endanger marine animals, and only trained, authorized responders should attempt to disentangle a wild dolphin, whale, porpoise, seal or sea lion. An animal that looks calm may still react unpredictably, so trying to touch, move or cut it free can put the animal and people nearby at risk.
NOAA’s authorized response network includes more than 100 organizations around the country. Their specialties include rescue, rehabilitation, response and investigation. Members range from government agencies and nonprofits to aquariums, universities and museums. Some handle an immediate field response; others help assess or rehabilitate marine mammals. A report lets the network connect a sighting with a suitable team instead of asking neighbors to solve the problem themselves.
For people in Florida, NOAA’s reporting directory lists the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922) for marine mammal reports. NOAA says people who see sick, injured, entangled, stranded or dead marine mammals should contact their local stranding network. NOAA also advises keeping people and pets at least 50 yards from a stranded marine mammal. Callers can give the location and describe what they see without approaching the animal.
NOAA says many entangled marine mammals can be successfully released, and information gathered during responses contributes to research and management intended to help prevent future entanglements. The agency’s contact directory is organized by region and state because local stranding networks differ; it is not a single national hotline. NOAA also offers its Dolphin and Whale 911 app for Apple devices. A caller does not need to identify a dolphin’s species or determine who left the line before asking professionals for help.
The North Bay Village couple’s drone did not replace a marine rescue team. It gave officers another view as they searched the water, and neighbors helped point out the spot. Then officers took over in the water. In this case, the helpful steps were ordinary ones: pay attention, call the right people, share a clear location and leave the animal’s handling to responders.
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