A trained volunteer tries to herd stranded dolphins to deeper waters in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, on Friday. As many as 125 Atlantic white-sided dolphins stranded on Cape Cod on Friday and at least 10 died, prompting an intensive rescue effort, the International Fund for Animal Welfare said.
Stacey Hedman/International Fund for Animal Welfare/AP
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Stacey Hedman/International Fund for Animal Welfare/AP
WELLFLEET, Mass. — Animal rescuers tried to keep dozens of dolphins out of shallow waters off Cape Cod on Saturday after 125 of the animals became stranded a day earlier.
Teams in Massachusetts found a pod of 10 Atlantic white-sided dolphins swimming in a dangerously shallow area at dawn Saturday and managed to drive them to deeper water, the International Fund for Animal Welfare said.
Scouts also found a second group of 25 dolphins swimming close to the coast at Eastham, the organization said, with efforts underway there as the tide fell throughout the morning.
Ten dolphins died during Friday's stranding at The Gut – or Great Island – in Wellfleet, on the Herring River.
The organization said it was the largest mass stranding it had dealt with in the Cape region's 26-year history. The Gut is where strandings often occur, which experts say is partly due to its hook-like shape and extreme tidal fluctuations.
Misty Niemeyer, the organization's stranding coordinator, said rescuers faced many challenges Friday, including difficult mud conditions and the fact that the dolphins were spread out over a wide area.
“It was a gruelling response that lasted 12 hours in the blazing sun, but the team was able to overcome the various challenges and give the dolphins the best chance of survival,” Niemeyer said in a statement.
According to the organization, the team set out on foot and herded the animals into deeper water, then used three small boats equipped with underwater pingers.
Those helping with the rescue effort include 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.
