Marine rescue teams in Australia carried out a coordinated effort to free a dolphin calf that had been trapped in a fishing net, successfully reuniting the young dolphin with its mother after a delicate rescue. The calf had been spotted struggling in mid-June near Batemans Bay, where the braided netting restricted its ability to swim. Concerned community members reported repeated sightings, which prompted a multi-agency response involving the Sea World Foundation, New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Marine Rescue, and the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans (ORRCA).
On the morning of July 24, several vessels joined in the mission, with ORRCA volunteers using drones to track the mother and calf off MacKenzies Beach. After spotting the pair, a SeaWorld Foundation team maneuvered close to the calf and carefully removed the entanglement. Drone footage captured the tense but successful moment when rescuers reached the dolphin in the water, cut away the fishing net, and allowed the young animal to swim free. The footage concluded with a heartwarming scene of the calf swimming alongside its mother, drawing cheers from the team as one rescuer exclaimed, “Mum’s picked it up! They’re together.”