A bottlenose dolphin has been released back into the ocean after weeks of rehabilitation in Queensland.
Rescuers found the dolphin tangled in a fishing line in Moreton Bay with serious injuries.
Seven boats and more than 20 people travelled to Harry Atkinson Artificial Reef a month ago and carried out the delicate rescue surrounding the female they had been monitoring since December.
Seaworld vet Doctor Claire Madden performed one procedure to remove the fishing line at sea before she took the dolphin back to the mainland to undergo surgery.
“(She had) irreversible damage to that dorsal fin, she really did have some life-threatening injuries to that tail, the way the fishing line was wrapped around that tail,” Madden said.
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“I actually did amputate a small portion of that dorsal fin, to get rid of that damage that the fishing line had caused.”
It is understood this is the first time this century anesthetic has been administered to a wild dolphin world.
Researchers believe the operation will help shape the future of marine healthcare.
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