Photo: Courtesy of IFAW
ORLEANS, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — For the first time since its opening, the Dolphin Rescue Center treated a dolphin found stranded on Cape Cod and released it back into the wild, the International Fund for Animal Welfare announced Monday.
IFAW opened the center last October in Orleans, calling it "first-of-its kind short-term rehabilitation facility for dolphins and porpoises."
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IFAW said it received a report Sunday morning of a live dolphin stuck and thrashing in the surf on a beach in Brewster. IFAW secured the animal and transported it to the Dolphin Rescue Center for treatment.
"For this dolphin, additional care was the only way for the animal to have a chance at survival," Dr. Sarah Sharp, IFAW’s animal rescue veterinarian, said in a statement. "He was suffering from shock, seawater aspiration, and trauma from the stranding event, but responded well to supportive care and treatments the team provided."
Less than 24 hours after admittance, the center's first patient was successfully released back into the water at Herring Cove with a temporary satellite tag attached, IFAW said.
"This is a major innovative step forward for our program that will advance and inform marine mammal rescue efforts globally," said Brian Sharp, Director of IFAW’s marine mammal rescue team. "This facility fills a critical unmet need on the Cape where our team responds to an average of 70 live dolphins per year."
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