Marine rescue teams worked for nearly two days to save almost 50 bottlenose dolphins that stranded along Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in an event described by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) as the largest known stranding of the species in the state's history. Reports of dolphins stranded at First Encounter Beach in Eastham, Massachusetts, began circulating Monday morning. Initially, 28 to 30 bottlenose dolphins were reported.
By Tuesday, IFAW reported that the number of stranded animals had grown to 19 across three locations along a nine-mile stretch of coastline. "These animals are in decent condition," said Brian Sharp, program director for Marine Mammal Rescue at IFAW. "Two have been fitted with satellite tags so we can now monitor their movements and even see if the separated groups come back together."
As the tide rose on Tuesday, all 19 dolphins were refloated. "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," Sharp stated.
IFAW noted that bottlenose dolphins are typically an offshore species, but the organization has observed an increasing trend of these animals appearing closer to Cape Cod's shores in recent years. The organization also warned that dolphins, like humans involved in accidents, can become injured and exhausted during a stranding and should not be pushed or dragged back into the water by untrained individuals.