A drone's view of Biscayne Bay helped officers locate a dolphin that had its tail caught in a net.
The Florida resident operating the drone guided rescuers to the animal as it struggled to stay afloat.
Here's what to know
Ahmed Raul Perez sent up his drone over the bay after his wife spotted the dolphin from their apartment window.
Suspecting the dolphin was in trouble, the animal-loving couple decided to investigate. Perez lives in North Bay Village and told 7News that his wife first spotted the animal in the afternoon.
The drone footage seemed to show netting around the dolphin's tail, offering a possible explanation for why it was having such difficulty near the water's surface.
"He wasn't swimming right," Perez said. "When I looked closer, I saw he had something on his tail. His tail was underwater and his head was bobbing above the water."
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The couple called 911, and Marine Patrol Units from North Bay Village and the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office arrived within minutes.
More background
In Perez's view, the weight of the material around the dolphin's tail was the problem. He believed it was pulling the animal down and preventing it from staying afloat.
"He was sinking, he couldn't keep floating because whatever was holding him down was heavy and it was sinking him," Perez explained. "If the police hadn't come, he probably would have died."
Perez credited the drone's overhead perspective with helping direct officers to an animal he said could be seen only from above.
What's being done?
Several Marine Patrol members entered the water and removed the netting from the dolphin's tail. Perez then captured footage of the animal swimming into deeper water after it was freed.
The rescue brought together neighbors taking local action and marine officers able to perform the hands-on work. According to 7News, North Bay Village officials said the dolphin showed no apparent injuries after it was freed.
"I got teary eyed, super happy," Perez said.
Where can I learn more?
Other animals have needed help escaping nets, just like the dolphin in Biscayne Bay.
• In Pakistan, fishermen freed a rare river dolphin from a net and returned it to safety.
• Off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, rescuers freed an entangled minke whale after a rare, 40-mile chase.
• In Holtsville, New York, rescuers said an osprey escaped Topgolf netting, the second raptor trapped that week.
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