According to People magazine and E! News, the 41-year-old former Victoria’s Secret Angel was walking her dog Saturday when she came to the rescue of a sea turtle trapped in a fishing net.
“Life is a series of opportunities that appear daily, and we choose what to do with them. Today was no different,” Bundchen captioned an Instagram video of the moment. “Early this morning, I was walking on the beach, and Onyx started barking at a pile of ocean trash that had washed during high tide. When I came closer, I saw this beautiful turtle turned upside down with a look of hopelessness and exhaustion in her eyes, her body knotted and entangled in a fishing net.”
That’s when Bundchen sprang into action, People and E! reported.
“I immediately started to free her from the net that was strangling her, but even after we got her untied, she was too tired to make her way back to the ocean,” the mother of two wrote. “I didn’t think twice, I just picked her up and [carried] her to the water. (Amazing how adrenaline can make you stronger!) I felt relieved and so happy to see her swim away freely, grateful that I was there and able to help.”
The model added that many animals aren’t so lucky.
“There are so many other animals that unfortunately end up dying on nets like this,” she wrote. “Today I was reminded that we must become more aware of our ways as a species and help protect all animals, it’s our choice. I pray that we can all rise and remember that the opportunity to change begins with a single act.”
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years Here are some memorable photos of supermodel Gisele Bundchen through the years. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2000: Brazilian Supermodel Gisele shows off a $15 million jeweled bra at a new Victoria''s Secret on December 7, 2000, in the Lincoln Center area in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Newsmakers via Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2001: Model Gisele attend the 2001 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards on October 19, 2001, in New York City. (George De Sota/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2002: Model Gisele Bundchen walks the runway at the Victoria Secret Fashion Show at the Lexington Avenue Armory on November 14, 2002, in New York City. (Matthew Peyton/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2003: Supermodel Gisele Bundchen photographed during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at the 69th Regiment Armory on November 13, 2003, in New York City. (Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2004: Model Gisele Bundchen attends the "Taxi" film premiere, featuring a Taxi Cab Drive-In, at the Jacob Javits Center October 3, 2004, in New York City. (Evan Agostini/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2005: Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, nominated for Best Actor for his role in "The Aviator," arrives with girlfriend Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen at the 77th annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater on February 27, 2005, in Hollywood, California. (Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2006: Model Gisele Bundchen walks the runway during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show held at the Kodak Theatre on November 16, 2006, in Hollywood, California. (Mark Mainz/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2007: Model Gisele Bundchen attends the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit Gala "Poiret: King of Fashion" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2007, in New York City. (Peter Kramer/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2008: Actress/model Gisele Bundchen and athlete Tom Brady arrive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2008, in New York City. (Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2009: Model Gisele Bundchen attends the 2009 Rainforest Alliance gala at the American Museum of Natural History on May 6, 2009, in New York City. (Scott Wintrow/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2010: NFL player Tom Brady and model Gisele Bundchen attend the Costume Institute Gala Benefit to celebrate the opening of the "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity" exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 3, 2010, in New York City. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2011: NFL player Tom Brady and model Gisele Bundchen attend the "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2011, in New York City. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2012: NFL player Tom Brady and model Gisele Bundchen attend the "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations" Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2012, in New York City. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2013: Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen attend the Costume Institute Gala for the "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2013, in New York City. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2014: Model Gisele Bundchen and NFL player Tom Brady attend the "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2014, in New York City. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2015: Gisele Bundchen walks the runway during the Colcci show at SPFW Summer 2016 at Parque Candido Portinari on April 15, 2015, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2016: Gisele Bundchen attends her Spring Fling book launch on April 30, 2016, in New York City. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Goat Communications)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2017: Co-chairs Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen attend the "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017, in New York City. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2018: Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen attends the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & the Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018, in New York City. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2019: Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen attend the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019, in New York City. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Photos: Gisele Bundchen through the years 2021: Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates with Gisele Bundchen after winning Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium on February 7, 2021, in Tampa, Florida. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)