More than a dozen dolphins mysteriously stranded on Cape Cod beaches. See the rescues
Over a dozen dolphins were stranded across eight beaches in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, over the weekend, wildlife welfare officials said.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare worked tirelessly to save 10 common dolphins starting at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, the organization said in a news release. Six other dolphins died, four before rescuers arrived and two shortly after rescue.
Several reports came in through the non-profit organization’s 24/7 stranding hotline, starting at Ellis Landing Beach in Brewster, officials said. The stranded animals were scattered across 25 miles of Cape Cod’s 400 miles of coastline.
Another report came in by 8 a.m. of two more common dolphins stranded at Sea Street Beach in Dennis. These two dolphins didn’t make it, the organization said.
“Within the hour, another dolphin was reported stranded at First Encounter Beach in Eastham, two more at Crowes Pasture in Dennis, four more at the Herring River Gut in Wellfleet, two at Mayo Beach, and one at Skaket Beach in Orleans,” the organization said.
Experts believe the dolphins belonged to the same pod, but aren’t sure what caused the strandings, officials said. And harsh conditions on the beaches made the rescues difficult.
“High winds, cold weather, challenging surf, and the large size of the animals all contributed to a strenuous response with obstacles at every turn,” said Kira Kasper, biologist and animal rescue responder at the organization. “With multiple strandings at different locations, every moment counts.”
Multiple rescue teams coordinated their efforts and resources to respond to the strandings, the organization said. Staff and volunteers dispatched rescue vehicles to each beach where dolphins had stranded, stabilized them and transported them to deeper waters at Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown, “where they would have the greatest chance of survival,” officials said.
Photos show the team rescuing dolphins and packaging them for transport in the back of what looks like a rescue van or ambulance.
Cape Cod’s unique hook-shaped coastline may have something to do with the strandings, the organization said. The peninsula “sees more incidents of live-stranded dolphins than anywhere else in the world, and 2024 continues to be a historic high.”
“The strandings are driven primarily by the gently sloping sand flats, large tidal fluctuations, proximity to productive feeding grounds, the social nature of the species that strand, and the hook-like shape of the Cape itself,” Boston.com reported.
The organization has responded to 310 live dolphin strandings through Nov. 10 — over 4.5 times the annual average of 67, the outlet reported.
This story was originally published November 12, 2024 at 1:37 PM with the headline "More than a dozen dolphins mysteriously stranded on Cape Cod beaches. See the rescues."
