Heartbreaking images as more than a dozen dolphins die in mass stranding around Cape Cod
- About 125 Atlantic white-sided dolphins were stranded in the shallow water
More than a dozen dolphins have died in a mass beaching off Cape Cod, with heartbreaking footage showing the mammals struggling in shallow water and stranded side by side on sandbars.
About 125 Atlantic white-sided dolphins got stranded in the area off the coast of Massachusetts that rescuers called a βbig dolphin fall.β
For hours, rescuers desperately tried to coax the dolphins out of the shallow water. Thanks to their painstaking work, more than 100 of the stranded dolphins were able to reach deeper water.
According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), an estimated 13 dolphins died and one had to be euthanized. However, aerial footage shows that many more dolphins are stranded on a sandbank.
According to the nonprofit, this was the largest mass stranding it had encountered on the Cape in the area’s 26-year history.
Volunteers worked for hours to save the dolphins, but sadly many died in the stranding
Dolphins are covered with blankets by rescuers after they become stranded in shallow water
Rescue workers desperately submerge the animals in water as they try to keep them alive after the stranding
About 125 Atlantic white-sided dolphins were stranded in the area, which rescuers called a “great dolphin fall”
Terrifying footage shows dozens of dolphins covered in sheets lying helpless on a sandbank as rescuers douse them with water and check if they are still alive.
There is no definitive reason why these dolphins are stranded, rescuers say. Cape Cod is known as a global hotspot for strandings because of the curvature of its coastline and the fluctuation of its tides.
Teams in Massachusetts discovered a pod of 10 Atlantic white-sided dolphins in a dangerously shallow area at sunrise Saturday morning and managed to herd the animals to deeper water.
Scouts also found a second pod of 25 dolphins swimming close to the shore near Eastham, the organization said. Teams worked to drive them away as the tide receded during the morning.
Ten dolphins died Friday during a beaching at The Gut β or Great Island β in Wellfleet, on the Herring River.
People regularly get stranded in the Gut, which experts say is partly due to its hook-shaped shape and extreme tidal fluctuations.
Misty Niemeyer, the organization’s stranding coordinator, said over the weekend that rescuers faced many challenges on Friday, including difficult mud conditions and the fact that the dolphins were scattered over a large area.
A trained volunteer tries to herd stranded dolphins into deeper water on Friday, June 28, 2024 in Wellfleet, Massachusetts.
Rescue teams carried out a major 12-hour operation in the blazing sun to help the mammals
Stranded dolphins are seen in shallow waters off Cape Cod on June 28, 2024
βIt was a gruelling 12-hour response in the blazing sun, but the team was able to overcome the challenges and give the dolphins the best chance of survival,β Niemeyer said in a statement.
The team set out on foot, herding the animals into deeper water, then using three small boats equipped with underwater pingers, which make sounds underwater, the organization said.
Among those helping in the rescue effort were more than 25 organization employees and 100 trained volunteers.
The group also received support from Whale and Dolphin Conservation, the Center for Coastal Studies, AmeriCorps of Cape Cod and the New England Aquarium.
Rescuers are concerned that the rescued group may still be in the area and may return to the location, and are closely monitoring the situation.