An animal welfare group on Cape Cod, USA has been busy for weeks trying to rescue dolphins that strand themselves in harbors and on beaches of the Cape. Today, the group said they are rescuing nine more dolphins that are in danger of stranding themselves in Brewster.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare said the dolphins were “about to strand” in Brewster near Sea Pines Drive at 11:15 a.m. Low tide, which occurred at 11:54 a.m., further threatened the marine mammals, said Kerry Branon, a spokesperson for the group.
“The team is bringing the animals to our rescue trailers and are doing health assessments to determine if the animals are healthy enough to be released,” Branon said in an e-mail.
Branon said the group hopes to release the dolphins into deeper water later this afternoon.
Since Jan. 12, at least 102 dolphins have stranded themselves on the shores of Cape Cod. The animal welfare group said 21 of the stranded dolphins were rescued, relocated, and appear to be doing well. The group says the cause of this year’s mass strandings remains a mystery.
On Friday, Katie Moore, the manager of marine mammal rescue and research for the group, will brief members of Congress on the strandings and the group’s response on Cape Cod.
Source: The Boston Globe, by Colin A. Young