Footage of Spanish citizens in the south of the country restored faith in humanity at the end of September when footage of them saving the life of a dolphin was posted online. People sunbathing on the beach in the port town of El Puerto de Santa Maria spotted the distressed animal becoming stranded in the shallows, swimming towards the crowd gathered there. Why she was there soon became heartbreakingly clear; her nose and mouth were tangled up in a fishing line.
Source: Inés Oliva Pérez/Facebook
Inés Oliva Pérez, one of the people on the beach, told Spanish newspaper ElPaís that she initially thought the crowd was harassing the dolphin or trying to take pictures with it, as happened earlier this year with a baby dolphin who died from stress in Mojácar, another area of Spain:
At first I thought it was another case in which people were trying to take pictures with it and I was super angry. But then I realized that it was only good people who tried to help it, so I started recording the good work they were doing.
To Pérez, the dolphin seemed to be asking for help, a plea that the kind-hearted beach-goers were more than happy to answer. While one man held the dolphin steady, another cut the line wrapped around her nose, pulling it off her face.
Source: Inés Oliva Pérez/Facebook
Then, they carefully carried the beautiful creature back to deeper water so that she could swim away safely. As Pérez and the rest of the crowd watched, they saw 2 other dolphins waiting for their newly freed companion:
When she returned to the water, two other big dolphins seemed to pause, it seemed as if they were thanking us. It was super emotional, I still get goosebumps when I think about it.
This dolphin was very lucky to run into people who were calm, collected and concerned about her safety. Many others fall victim to people who only care about getting a picture. Dolphins are incredibly intelligent animals who can become easily stressed in unfamiliar situations. The stress can even kill them, as with the baby dolphin who died last August.
Source: Inés Oliva Pérez/Facebook
If you see a wild animal in distress, do not approach them unless they are directly in danger. Call the local authorities, who will do whatever they can to get the animal back where they belong.Watch a video of the amazing rescue below:https://www.facebook.com/ines.olivaperez/videos/1511302588948974/
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