Photo credit: WPTV/NOAA
Rescuers in Florida recently freed a young dolphin calf from being entangled in fishing line and it was quite and effort – 35 people and 12 various institutions and organizations.
The dolphin was spotted on January 19th near Ft. Pierce. Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution observed the dolphin over a four week period. Veterinarians deemed the dolphins condition to be life-threatening and recommended an intervention.
“We can’t disentangle every animal,” said Elizabeth Stratton, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries’ assistant marine mammal stranding coordinator for the southeast region, “but if it comes back as life-threatening, we mobilize to do disentanglement.”
From removing the netting from the calf and his mother to sending them on their way, the process took about an hour according to Stratton. Other than being entangled, the mother and calf were both in good condition.
Rescuers gave the calf a long-lasting antibiotic and radio-tagged the mother before releasing them to the ocean “where they belong,” Stratton said.
NOAA also took this incident as a reminder to boaters and fisherman to be mindful of their equipment.
For the full story, check out WPTV’s report here.