After dolphins strand near Wellfleet on Cape Cod, residents are shocked

Lina Portman2 days ago

0 5 minutes read

To avoid “irreparable damage,” only people trained in marine animal rescue should attempt to help stranded animals, authorities warn.

Marina Costello was walking along the beach in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, on Friday night when she heard the screams. She burst into tears.

A 300-pound dolphin lay on its side along the shore, barely touched by the waves.

“I jumped in the water crying because I heard him in pain. He was making little noises, I didn’t expect to hear them, and it broke my heart,” said Costello, 54, who watched him take his last breath. “After he passed away, I was heartbroken, to see such a beautiful, majestic animal die, it was a tragedy.”

The week after the largest mass dolphin stranding Cape Cod has seen in decades, if ever, the Wellfleet community is “abuzz” with a desire for answers — to try to ease their grief and prevent another tragedy, Costello told USA TODAY.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare is investigating the stranding and conducting necropsies (animal autopsies) on the 10 dead dolphins, but locals are concerned that more dolphins could die in the future.

“To say that this just happens is wrong,” said Costello, who manages the front desk at a local resort. “You don't see this kind of thing happening on Cape Cod, it doesn't happen.”

Although Cape Cod is a global hotspot for dolphin strandings, when the animals become stuck in shallow water, Friday's stranding of 125 animals is unprecedented, according to residents and wildlife experts.

On Tuesday, federal authorities were trying to determine whether the June 28 incident in Wellfleet was the largest single stranding in U.S. history, the International Fund for Animal Welfare told USA TODAY.

“There's a good chance this is one of the largest rescues ever recorded,” said Brian Sharp, director of the marine mammal rescue team at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, a nonprofit organization based on Cape Cod.

Volunteers are 'so much fewer' than dolphins

In the future, more will need to be done to prevent large numbers of dolphins from stranding along Cape Cod Bay near Wellfleet, said Katie Carrier, an administrative assistant at a country club along a beach where dozens of dolphins washed up Friday.

That afternoon, she said, everyone was rushing to try to help in some way and was filled with anxiety for the dolphins, which can breathe air but are not able to survive long out of water in direct sunlight.

“Everyone was very concerned because the tide was still rising, but not fast enough,” said Carrier, 27. “People were driving by, trying to help in any way they could.”

In the event of a mass stranding, people who are not trained in marine animal rescue should not approach or touch dolphins, wildlife officials warn. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says marine mammals and sea turtles can behave erratically and people should keep a safe distance from wildlife when calling stranding hotlines.

“We know that these animals can suffer irreparable damage if they are pulled by the tail,” Sharp said, explaining that the human equivalent would be being pulled by the foot across a parking lot. “That can damage their spine. These animals are designed to move forward through water, not backward through sand, using their body weight,” he said.

If someone sees a stranded dolphin, the best thing to do is call a local stranding response service or 911, Sharp said. It also helps to shoo away seagulls, as these birds have been known to eat stranded dolphins alive.

On Cape Cod, the June 28 mass stranding interrupted a 160-person outdoor wedding on the beach that afternoon, Carrier said, as well as a children's summer camp at the Chequessett Yacht & Country Club.

“We need to be more proactive, not too reactive,” Carrier said, adding that the community should consider investing in equipment to provide aerial views of dolphin pods in the bay so they can be warned in advance of potential strandings.

On Friday, about 125 dolphins were stranded, spread out over a mile and a half, according to Brian Sharp, director of the marine mammal rescue team at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Only 80 IFAW employees and trained volunteer lifeguards were on the beach Friday, Sharp said. Some IFAW employees are still recovering from cuts, bruises and muscle soreness they suffered while herding dozens of dolphins on foot through dangerously thick mud for five days, Sharp said.

“We were so outnumbered,” he told USA TODAY.

Sharp said more rescuers are needed throughout the year, especially between December and April, which is historically when the highest number of strandings typically occur, he said.

After leading sea rescues for the past 26 years in Florida and Massachusetts, Sharp said Friday's mass stranding was “by far the largest event” he has seen.

Rosalie Puffer, a manager at a local seafood restaurant, was born and raised in Wellfleet and said the number of dolphins stranded Friday was shocking.

“The community is used to this kind of thing, but the sheer number of strandings was pretty intense for everyone,” said Puffer, 31. “I’ve never heard of numbers like this,” she said.

Wellfleet community heartbroken, children shaken

Wellfleet is a “hot spot within a hot spot” for dolphin strandings in Cape Cod Bay, Sharp said. The town, located halfway between the tip and the “elbow” of Cape Cod, has an annual population of about 3,000, which swells up to six times during the summer months.

Gently sloping mudflats and sandbars cause the tide to “go out” quickly, Sharp said, and the area where the dolphins got stuck in shallow water Friday is a particularly dangerous, maze-like trap for both dolphins and boaters.

Fishermen in the area told IFAW rescuers Friday that there were “lots of baitfish,” Sharp said, adding, “As we were rounding up the animals, we saw baitfish.”

Rising ocean temperatures have caused dolphins' prey to move to different areas, and when one dolphin in a pod goes looking for food, others follow. That may be what happened Friday, Sharp said.

“It could have just been a large pod of dolphins coming into the area to try to find food, but it's an incredibly dangerous area because the tides are going out,” he said.

Puffer, manager of seafood restaurant Mac's Shack, said people concerned about the plight of the dolphins should donate to the rescue efforts so more teams can be funded.

Carrier, the country club's assistant, said something might need to be done to divert dolphins away from Cape Cod Bay to prevent more dolphin deaths.

“The most important thing is we just want to know what caused this so it can be prevented from happening again,” said Costello, the complex's clerk.

Diversionary tactics worked during the last mass stranding at the cape in 2012, Sharp said, in which underwater microphones were used to locate dolphins and guide them in the right direction before they stranded. During the 2012 event, about 60 dolphins stranded in about three months, according to IFAW.

On Friday, shocked residents who had seen the stranded dolphins gathered at local seafood restaurants to console one another, including children who wondered if the dolphins were OK, Carrier said.

“It's stressed them out. They understand there's something going on in the area, and then you have to answer all these questions and ask them how do you approach them?” she said, adding that she was grateful her 2-year-old and 4-year-old daughters didn't see the dolphins.

Puffer, who has six young nieces, said she believes parents can turn conversations about stranded dolphins into an opportunity to educate children about the importance of wildlife rescue teams and how humans can track dolphins in the ocean to make sure they're OK.

“I hope this turns into a spark that brings people together to help volunteer or donate or bring awareness to why this is happening,” Puffer said. “Instead of dividing people, I hope it brings people together.”

To avoid “irreparable damage,” only people trained in marine animal rescue should attempt to help stranded animals, authorities warn.

Volunteers are 'so much fewer' than dolphins

Wellfleet community heartbroken, children shaken

Lina Portman

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