Atlantic white-sided dolphins swims in the waters of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary May 10, 2018 near Gloucester, Massachusetts. (Photo by Don EMMERT / AFP) (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images)
Between 80-100 Atlantic white-sided dolphins are stranded in low water in an area off Cape Cod on Friday, officials say.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare says it is assisting with the dolphin stranding at Great Island at the Herring River in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. They said it is a difficult location with dangerous mud.
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"Low tide was at 11:23am. The plan, given the number, is to triage and aim to support animals, refloat, and herd as many as possible," the agency said in an email. "Luckily, it is cooler today, but these animals will risk sunburn and overheating until the tide rises, and then we have the challenge of herding them into deeper water."
Wellfleet police said they received a call around 10 a.m. from a resident on Chequessett Neck Road reporting about 50 dolphins in distress in Wellfleet Harbor. The tide was going out at that time, and many of the dolphins had become stranded. They said the updated number of dolphins that were in distress is 100.
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According to the Cape Cod Times, many of the dolphins were completely out of the water, while others were seen in shallow water nearby. As many as 20 of them are believed to have died already, but there is hope that others can still be saved.
"If we can get them back in the water and get them out of this area, they have a good chance," Misty Niemeyer, stranding coordinator for IFAW's Marine Mammal Rescue Team, told the newspaper. "But this is a very big stranding event, so we're going to do our best."
Officials say this is one of the largest dolphin strandings they've seen on the Cape in many years.
