An injured dolphin that had beached itself in Mission Bay died Tuesday morning after being picked up by rescuers from SeaWorld.
The young female mammal had suffered a massive broken jaw and was malnourished, said SeaWorld spokesman Dave Koontz.
It appeared the animal suffered the wound several days ago and had been unable to eat, Koontz said. The dolphin also had some minor cuts and abrasions on its body, he said.
The animal was first spotted swimming about 6:10 a.m. off Santa Barbara Cove near El Carmel Point, San Diego lifeguards said.
The lifeguards received another call about 7:30 a.m. from someone who said the dolphin was on the beach.
The SeaWorld crew arrived about 7:45 a.m. and picked up the dolphin, but it died in the truck, Koontz said. It was not known how the mammal was injured, he said.
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