A special marine mammal rescue team responded to a marsh in Wareham to help two common dolphins.
Dolphins stranded in Wareham on Dec. 8, 2025. Courtesy of Wareham Department of Natural Resources
Two stranded dolphins were rescued from a marsh in Wareham this week.
After receiving a report about the distressed dolphins, staff from the Wareham Department of Natural Resources responded to a part of Beaver Creek off the Weweantic River at about 10:45 a.m. Monday. They found the two animals “alive and active” in the marsh, but low tides had apparently stranded them in shallow waters, according to town officials.
Rescuers from the International Fund for Animal Welfare work to save the stranded dolphins in Wareham. – Courtesy of Wareham Department of Natural Resources
The department contacted the International Fund for Animal Welfare, which operates a local marine mammal rescue team. IFAW immediately responded to the area, successfully moving the dolphins into a special marine mammal transportation vehicle.
Members of the rescue team performed preliminary examinations of the animals, and full examinations were conducted after the dolphins were transported away from the scene. IFAW is assessing whether the dolphins need additional care or if they can be released back into the wild soon. One dolphin weighed about 90 pounds, and the other weighed about 150 pounds.
“IFAW is a tremendous asset to our coastal communities and provides 24/7 responses when called into action along with their wide group of volunteers. We are extremely grateful for their rapid response to the area!” the Wareham Department of Natural Resources said in a Facebook post about the rescue.
Cape Cod and the nearby areas are hotspots for marine mammal strandings, so much so that the IFAW established a specialized Dolphin Rescue Center in Orleans in 2023.
In September, rescuers helped save 11 dolphins over two days in Wellfleet. IFAW teams have responded to more than 100 dolphin or porpoise stranding events so far this year.
Last year was a particularly bad year for strandings in Massachusetts, with rescuers inundated with calls about animals in need. A mass stranding that summer was found to be the largest involving dolphins in U.S. history.
Ross CristantielloStaff Writer
Ross Cristantiello, a general assignment news reporter for Boston.com since 2022, covers local politics, crime, the environment, and more.
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