Fishermen work with mum dolphin to rescue baby from fishing net

This is the moment a pair of fishermen rescued a baby dolphin trapped in a fishing net.

Jose Ramón Pérez, 27, and Miguel Rodríguez, 36, were fishing 10km off the coast of Almería, Spain when they found the animal tangled in a net.

The two men spotted the young dolphin thanks to its mother, which had been desperately trying to keep her baby afloat.

The baby's tail was tangled in a rope and was being pulled underwater - almost drowning it.

But its mother would not leave its side and kept trying to lift it and keep its head above water.

José Ramon, a warehouse worker, and Miguel, a greenhouse owner, rushed to the baby's help after seeing the mother lift her flank above the waterline.

The pair believe she was asking for their help.

Jose Ramón, who is from El Ejido, said: "I saw something floating but it wasn't actually floating at the surface. It was underneath.

"Miguel said it was a dolphin but I thought it was strange because it hadn't moved at all.

"The mother put her side out of the water. She was trying to call us.

"When we got there she didn't leave our side for a second.

"She was holding its head up the whole time and the rope was even chewed."

Jose Ramón and Miguel called local authorities, who put them through to Equinac, a local conservation charity.

Equinac concluded that the situation was too dire to wait for their arrival and assisted the fishermen over the phone.

The rope was tied to an anchor and the dolphin, but with guidance from the charity the pair was able to cut the rope.

Although injured, the baby was able to swim off with its mother.

Jose Ramón said: "It was so hard to pull it up. I could feel it chafing our hands as we did it.

"I could see blood on the dolphin's tail from where the rope had cut it.

"They were panicked. The baby was thrashing around and screaming.

"When it did that the mother seemed like she was scolding it and trying to calm it down.

"As much as I try I can't express how it felt to be there. I was nervous and I was so sad for the baby. I don't know how long it had been there.

"I will remember this for my whole life. it was a truly magical moment."

Eva María Morón, a coordinator at Equinac, said: "If those boys hadn't been there, the baby would have died. This animal owes them its life."

Equinac also claims that the trap was placed there illegally by a known culprit.

She added: "We know who is responsible for the traps and he has been reported to the police.

"It's a massive problem that we fight against every day. We find these things every day.

"Not all dolphins live to tell the tale."