Tuesday, March 23, 2010

NYPD Scuba Divers Rescue Baby Seal

We already dig police dive teams in general, but can't help but love 'em a little more when they do something like this.

Detectives Frankie Pellegrino and Matthew Sherman, dressed in black, protective scuba suits, high-fived each other yesterday from the water off Joline Avenue in Tottenville.

It was a first for the two members of the NYPD’s Scuba Team, but it was a rescue they will never forget — a baby seal, entangled in heavy-duty netting.

Stuck since Tuesday evening, the seal was trapped within a web of monofilament fishing line attached to a piece of mooring floating in the Raritan Bay.

“[For him, in the water] there is zero visibility,” said Pellegrino, a resident of Great Kills. “Mooring is used for docking boats and jet skis, and attached to this piece was the monofilament net. He couldn’t get out.”

Pellegrino and Sherman, who waded out to the distressed pup, used a pair of shears to cut the blue netting from the animal’s torso.

“We were nervous about getting bit,” said Pellegrino. “He did make some exploratory grabs, but he was scared. At one point, I had him straddled [to keep him from splashing around].”

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2 comments:

Offthebeatentrack said...

Wow...good news for once when it comes to Marine mammals!

Austin said...

These guys are so cool. It's good to actually have a group of individuals dedicated to this kinds of work. Keep up the good job, guys! I wish we had programs like this in our my country.