Good Samaritans rescued a distressed loggerhead sea turtle last Saturday after noticing the animal was stuck in a crab trap.
While out on a boat off the coast of Miami, the bystanders called law enforcement for help once they found the turtle.
Deputies boarded the civilians’ boat and discovered the turtle was trapped in the crab trap’s rope and line.
“Supposedly he said it’s wrapped up over here,” a law enforcement agent said in the video.
Deputies then freed the reptile with one holding the rope while the other used a knife to cut away the line.
Once the turtle was freed, the good Samaritans began to clap and celebrate. One announced that the rescue made their day.
“Thanks to the quick actions of the good Samaritan and our Marine Patrol deputies, the turtle was safely freed and able to swim away on its own,” Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post.
A turtle being rescued on the beach.
(Suzanne Cosme / DeVine Portraits / FOX Weather)
Currently, loggerhead turtles are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. This means that they’re at risk of becoming endangered in the future.
According to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, Florida, one of the key threats these species face is unintentionally becoming entangled in fishing gear. This can cause the turtles to become trapped underwater and drown if they are unable to reach the surface to breathe.
“Even one encounter with fishing gear can cause serious injury, slow starvation, or death,” the Loggerhead Marinelife Center wrote in a memo.
