Dolphins are friendly sea creatures and oftentimes interact with humans. They’ve been known to help people in dangerous situations at sea, from drowning to shark attacks.
But sometimes dolphins are the ones who need the saving.
A police officer with the Marine Patrol unit was in the right place at the right time when he spotted an animal in the water that was caught in a fishing net in the Shorecrest area of Miami, Florida.
As Officer Nelson Silva, of the Miami-Dade Police Department, got closer, he realized it was a dolphin who was clearly in distress and in need of immediate help.
He pulled the dolphin close to his boat but the dolphin was terrified and tried to get away. Officer Silva refused to give up and caught up with the dolphin again.
He knew if he didn’t help this poor dolphin, it would not survive. He began cutting away some of the netting with a pocket knife, but the dolphin was still scared and fought to get away again.
But a determined Silva reached out to the dolphin again and was finally able to cut it free. Third time is a charm! The dolphin swam off into the water, most likely relieved to finally be free and out of danger.
Thank goodness Officer Silva was persistent in helping his little friend!
Watch the rescue in the video below:
This article was originally published on The Animal Rescue Site.