Overview
- IFAW responded to reports of roughly 28 to 30 bottlenose dolphins stranded at First Encounter Beach, which occurred Monday and left five to six animals dead before rescuers arrived.
- Rescue teams remained on site through the afternoon to monitor survivors and try to guide them away from shore before the next low tide at 5:13 p.m.
- The International Fund for Animal Welfare called the event the largest known bottlenose stranding off Massachusetts.
- Rescuers say the curved inner-Cape coastline and broad tidal flats routinely trap marine mammals and that bottlenose dolphins have been seen closer to shore more often in recent years, increasing stranding risk.
- Officials urged the public to keep distance, keep pets away, and contact trained responders through IFAW’s stranding hotline rather than attempt a rescue because untrained interference can injure animals and hinder response efforts.