Photo: IFAW
PROVINCETOWN, Mass. (WBZNewsRadio) - A pair of dolphins are safe and sound and back in the waters off the Cape, following a day-long effort to rescue the stranded animals.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) got a call around 9:00 a.m. Thursday morning informing animal rescue experts there were several dolphins swimming in the area of the mouth of Herring River in Wellfleet. Using a trio of boats, officials attempted to heard the marine mammals to safer waters, but were unsuccessful.
“Volunteers remained on scene throughout the morning before sighting two dolphins in ‘the gut’ of the river, an area well-known for its shallow, difficult-to-navigate mud flats,” said Lauren Cooley, Animal Rescue Responder and Stranding Biologist with IFAW. “With an 11:00 AM high tide on our side, we mobilized to herd the dolphins back out to deeper water.”
By 4:00 p.m. IFAW experts made the decision to remove two of the dolphins along Chequesset Neck Road, using their one-of-a-king mobile dolphin rescue equipment.
“It was a long, tiring day for these dolphins, and with the tide going out, we knew their greatest chance for survival was to transport them to deeper waters,” said Cooley. “With our mobile capabilities, we were able to give the dolphins a full physical exam, treatment, and supportive care to counter the effects of being trapped in shallow water. The deeper waters off Provincetown will be key to their success back in the wild.”
The dolphins were safely taken to a release site at Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown and released just as the sun was setting.
The dolphins were safety taken to a release site at Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown and released just as the sun was setting.
WBZ's Nichole Davis (@NicholeDWBZ) reports.