Wellfleet (global-adventures.us): A large pot of Common dolphins has been rescued by members of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). The animal welfare group says that it did help about 300 dolphins at risk of stranding to swim out of Wellfleet harbor, Massachusetts. Furthermore, the group was able to rescue and release 19 of the 27 dolphins that stranded alive on Cape Cod shores during the past few days including a dolphin calf and a pregnant mother. Approximately 32 additional animals stranded, but were found dead most likely due to injuries sustained from stranding.
“I’ve been doing this for 15 years and this is only the second season I’ve seen it like this,” said Katie Moore IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue and Research Manager. “No one knows for sure why animals strand, but mass strandings of whales and dolphins have happened on Cape Cod for hundreds of years. The topography of the Cape is likely a factor, with its hook-like shape, gently sloping beaches and extensive sand and mud flats. Animals may become 
disoriented and trapped by the complex inlets. Dolphins are also very social animals and stick together for better or worse.”
Common dolphins can be found in tropical and warm-temperate waters around the world. Adults grow to 6.2 to 8.2 feet (1.9 to 2.5 meters) in lengths and weigh between 180 and 520 pounds (80 to 235 kilograms). They have a varied diet consisting of many species of fish and squid. Common dolphins live in aggregations of hundreds or even thousands of dolphins and have been recorded to dive up to 660 feet (200 meters) deep. Along with sites in Australia and New Zealand, Cape Cod is one of the top three stranding hotspots in the world. Mass strandings of multiple marine mammals often occur in this area between January and April.
“The scale of this mass stranding is unique. We've responded to dolphins along 25 miles [40.23 kilometers] of coastline during the past few days,” said IFAW stranding coordinator Brian Sharp. “We were able to affix satellite tags to the dorsal fins of five rescued dolphins, which will allow us to find out how they’re doing after release. We're hoping to see that the location coordinates are grouped together, which will show that they've rejoined a pod.”
More than 300 Common dolphins that were at risk of stranding are back in open water. Photo: NOAA/Public Domain
