A trained volunteer attempts to herd a stranded dolphin into deeper water in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, on Friday. The horns were stranded and at least 10 of them died, prompting rescue efforts to intensify for the sake of animal welfare.
Stacey Hedman/International Fund for Animal Welfare/Associated Press
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Stacey Hedman/International Fund for Animal Welfare/Associated Press
WELLFleet, Mass. — Animal rescuers tried to keep dozens of dolphins away from shallow waters around Cape Cod on Saturday, a day after 125 dolphins were stranded.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare said a research team in Massachusetts spotted a pod of 10 Atlantic white dolphins swimming in dangerously shallow waters at dawn on Saturday and managed to herd them into deeper waters.
The group said scouts also spotted a second pod of 25 dolphins swimming off the coast near Eastham, where grazing continued as the tide receded throughout the morning.
Ten dolphins died Friday during a stranding on the “Gut” or “Big Island” at Wellfleet in the Herring River.
The organization said it was the largest mass stranding it had dealt with in the region’s 26-year history. The gut is a common place for strandings, which experts believe is partly due to its hook-like shape and extreme tidal fluctuations.
Misty Niemeyer, the organization’s stranding coordinator, said rescuers faced a number of challenges Friday, including rough mud conditions and the dolphins being dispersed over a large area.
“It was an exhausting 12-hour response under unforgiving sunlight, but the team overcame the challenges to give the dolphins the best chance of survival,” Niemeyer said in a statement.
The team began on foot to herd the creatures into deeper water, then used three small boats equipped with underwater detectors, according to the organization.
Those involved in the rescue effort include more than 25 staff members and 100 trained volunteers from the organization. The team also received support from Whale and Dolphin Conservation, the Coastal Research Center, the Cape Cod American Legion and the New England Aquarium.
