Good Samaritans Help After Dolphin Found Stranded On Jersey Shore Beach

BRIGANTINE, NJ — A bottlenose dolphin that stranded itself on a beach in Brigantine was euthanized Tuesday, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center said.

The dolphin was reported to the center at about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday on the north end of Brigantine. The person who called to report finding the female dolphin stayed to keep her upright in the surf as volunteers rushed to the scene.

The dolphin was identified as an offshore bottlenose dolphin, which is usually found far offshore along the continental shelf, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center said. She was very thin for her body length of nine feet and was "unusually lethargic," the center said.

Despite being underweight, the dolphin still weighed more than 500 pounds, and the first responders and good Samaritans were unable to move her alone. The Brigantine Fire Department loaded her into a stretcher to carry her into the center's Stranding Response Vehicle.

Nearby, a man named Hal from Walters Marine Construction was working and saw the team in need of help.

"Using his front-end loader, Hal used straps to gently lift the stretcher with the dolphin inside into the stretcher frame," the stranding center said.

The dolphin was rushed to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center and examined. Her body was very thin and her breathing was labored. She remained lethargic even while being moved, officials said.

Her prognosis was "extremely poor" and the decision was made to humanely euthanize her.

"The impact of stranding on cetaceans (dolphins and whales) is traumatic as their body weight and organs are normally supported by the water around them," the Marine Mammal Stranding Center said. "When a cetacean is stranded for any length of time, their own body weight causes crushing damage to their internal organs, which lessens their chances of survival."

It was unknown how long the dolphin had been stranded on the beach, and pushing her out would only worsen her condition, officials said.

A necropsy will be completed to determine what happened.

"Seeing so many people coming together to support our team and do whatever they could to help this beautiful dolphin in her final moments was inspiring," the Marine Mammal Stranding Center said. "Although the outcome for this dolphin was not what we had all hoped for, in death she will contribute to the scientific knowledge of her species and hopefully help us understand the reason for her stranding and others."