About a half dozen bottlenose dolphins died in a mass stranding early Monday morning on Cape Cod in what animal rescue officials say is the largest known stranding of the animals off Massachusetts.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare said their marine mammal rescue experts responded to reports of a mass stranding of 28-30 bottlenose dolphins at First Encounter Beach in Eastham around 5:30 a.m. Monday.
The dolphins refloated with the incoming tide, they said, but about 5-6 of them died before their team arrived. IFAW’s ream remains in the area to monitor and herd the animals away from shore before the next low tide at 5:13 p.m.
Bottlenose dolphins are typically an offshore species, IFAW said, but they have seen a growing trend of the animals closer to Cape Cod’s shores in recent years. They said this is now the largest known stranding of bottlenose dolphins off Massachusetts.
Members of the public who observe a stranded dolphin are urged not to push or drage them back into the water. They should instead keep a safe distance and contact trained rescue experts through the IFAW Stranding Hotline.
37-year-old Allie is due to give birth to the Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s first bottlenose calf in a decade.
Two years ago, 146 dolphins were stranded on Cape Cod, which IFAW at the time said was the largest U.S. stranding ever.