North Bay Village drone pilot guides police to netted dolphin

A dolphin spent part of Wednesday afternoon in Biscayne Bay, unable to swim freely because its tail was caught in a heavy net.

Ahmed Raul Perez was inside his North Bay Village apartment when his wife noticed the animal from their window. The couple, who identified themselves as animal lovers, saw that the dolphin was not moving as expected. Perez flew a drone closer to get a better view.

He wasn’t swimming right. When I looked closer, I saw he had something on his tail, Perez said in Spanish. His tail was underwater and his head was bobbing above the water.

The footage from the drone showed the netting wrapped around the tail. The weight of the gear was pulling the animal down. Perez called 911 after seeing the dolphin struggle to stay afloat.

He was sinking, he couldn’t keep floating because whatever was holding him down was heavy and it was sinking him. If the police hadn’t come, he probably would have died, Perez said.

Officers from the North Bay Village and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol Units arrived in boats within minutes. The dolphin was visible only from above, so Perez used his drone to point out its location. Other neighbors assisted in guiding the responders.

Marine Patrol divers entered the water and removed the net from the animal's tail. Once free, the dolphin swam away into the deeper water. Perez captured the moment from his drone.

I got teary eyed, super happy, Perez said.

North Bay Village officials stated that the dolphin appears to be uninjured.