Common dolphin mass stranding on Cape Cod

On the weekend, 45 common dolphins have been found stranded by the Harbor Master in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The Yarmouth based Marine Mammal Rescue Team of the International Fund for Animal Welfare assumes that the animals must have stranded overnight when the tides changed.

By the time the team could respond, they found several animals in compromised conditions, suffering from sunburn and overheating. Still, the majority of the group was able to refloat when the tide came in. Additionally, the rescue team managed to extract a group of nine common dolphins and provided them with the necessary treatment and supportive care to release them into the open water at a nearby beach. Two dolphins, however, were in very poor health and finally had to be euthanized.

Roughly 50 volunteers helped to rescue dozens of dolphins stranded on Cape Cod

Still, the rescue was overall deemed as successful with roughly 50 volunteers helping to cope with the biggest mass stranding Cape Cod has seen in the last 20 years.

Reports on the case can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/ifaw/posts/10158668632625365

And here: https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2020/08/11/volunteers-rescue-dozens-of-dolphins-stranded-on-wellfleet-beach