For the second consecutive day, rescue teams were engaged in efforts to save nearly 50 bottlenose dolphins, marking the largest recorded stranding event of this species in Massachusetts. This information comes from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
The IFAW disclosed that around 5:30 a.m. on Monday, word spread about 28 to 30 bottlenose dolphins being stranded at First Encounter Beach located in Eastham, Massachusetts.
According to a statement released by the group on Monday, “The dolphins managed to refloat with the rising tide, but sadly, an additional five to six of the animals perished before our team reached them.”
Over the past two days, IFAW has been involved in rescuing close to 50 bottlenose dolphins along Massachusetts’ coastline, as they reported on Tuesday. (International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW),)
By Tuesday, IFAW indicated that initially four bottlenose dolphins had been found stranded. The situation escalated to 19 dolphins scattered across three locations on a nine-mile stretch of shore.
“These animals are in decent condition. Two have been fitted with satellite tags so we can now monitor their movements and even see if the separated groups come back together,” said Brian Sharp, program director for Marine Mammal Rescue at IFAW.
A stranded dolphin seen from a distance and another seen swimming in the waters off Massachusetts. (International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW),)
“We are in a rising tide now, and all 19 animals have refloated,” Sharp added. “We’ll continue to monitor and coax them out of Wellfleet Bay to give them the best chance at survival. The next low tide will be around 6 p.m. this evening.”
Bottlenose dolphins are typically an offshore species, the group said, though IFAW has observed an increasing trend of these animals occurring closer to Cape Cod’s shores in recent years.
A woman seen looking over the waters where rescuers were working to free stranded dolphins. (International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW),)
Similar to a person involved in a car accident, dolphins can become injured and exhausted during a stranding and should never be pushed or dragged back into the water, IFAW warned.