A police officer’s body camera has recorded a successful dolphinrescue effort off the Florida coast, and the exact moment he freed the juvenile marine mammal from the fishing net in which it was trapped, back into the ocean.
Officer Nelson Silva, of the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Marine Patrol Unit, responded to a call about a dolphin in distress in the Shorecrest area on Dec 10.
Drawing close to the struggling dolphin in a rescue craft, the officer turned off the engine so as to drift closer without causing injury to the marine animal.
The police department uploaded Silva’s bodycam footage to Facebook a month later.
(Courtesy of Miami-Dade Police Department)
In the footage, Silva leans overboard, grabs onto the fishing net with a long pole, and reaches for his pocket knife to begin cutting away at the tangled strands. The dolphin, initially agitated, wrestles away from Silva’s grip twice and the fishing net cuts the officer’s hand.
However, he still perseveres and can be heard saying: “I got you … it’s OK little guy,” as he works through removing the fishing net from the dolphin.
(Courtesy of Miami-Dade Police Department)
The dolphin briefly disappears underneath the boat before resurfacing on the other side. Silva’s third attempt is successful in cutting the net clean away and releasing the juvenile back into the water.
Netizens were impressed by the officer’s dedication and the act of ignoring his own injury in favor of the rescue effort.
(Courtesy of Miami-Dade Police Department)
“Stories like this bring my faith back in humanity,” wrote one netizen. “Thank you, Officer Silva, for rescuing the dolphin and having so much patience.”
“So admirable,” wrote another, adding a note of concern: “Fishing harms so many animals and in so many ways. Thank goodness—and Officer Silva—that this one was rescued. Hopefully s/he makes a full recovery.”
Watch the video of the incredible rescue below:
(Courtesy of Miami-Dade Police Department)