JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A team of 40 people helped remove a frisbee-like object from around the neck of a dolphin calf Wednesday morning.
A dolphin calf with an object around its neck was spotted in a large pod of dolphins in the St. Johns River.
A team comprised of workers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Jacksonville Zoo waited for an opportunity to separate the calf and its mother from the group and move them into shallower waters.
Rescuers set the net around the mom and calf and removed an object called an aerobie from around the calf's head.
A veterinarian evaluated both, treated the calf's wound with some antibiotics and determined that the dolphin could be released back into the wild.
The pair swam off together and rejoined their pod.
The aerobie was cutting into the dolphin's body so without removal, as the dolphin calf grows, this could have created a potentially life-threatening situation for the animal.
To report a sick, injured, or dead marine mammal, call the Southeast Region Stranding Network 24-hour hotline at 1-877-942-5343.
