Grieving dolphin mum spotted pushing dead calf trapped in net near Perth

A heart-wrenching photograph has captured the moment a dolphin was seen pushing her dead calf after it became tangled in nets in waters off Perth.

The calf died after becoming tangled in the net of a crab pot in Claremont Bay on Monday, Parks and Wildlife Western Australia wrote on Facebook yesterday.

The calf's mother, known as Moon, was seen pushing her calf, which remained tangled in the net, when they were located by the Parks and Wildlife Service. They had been alerted to the incident by a member of the public.

"The dead calf has since been freed from the crab pot, but remains in the water with the mother dolphin as she grieves," they said.

The Parks and Wildlife Service said they will continue to monitor the pair as the mother grieves, before removing the calf "when appropriate to do so".