IFAW's Animal Rescue Blog

IFAW-rescued dolphin sighted in the wild!

This post was submitted by International Fund for Animal Welfare's Misty Niemeyer - Marine Mammal Rescue and Research staff.

Yesterday we received an exciting report! An Atlantic White-sided dolphin that stranded in Wellfleet and was released last month was sighted with a huge group of 300-500 dolphins on Sunday May 16, 2010, by Lisa Barrett from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) while aboard a Hyannis Whale Watcher vessel. Lisa recognized the orange tag on the animal’s dorsal fin and began snapping photos.

After reviewing the photos we realized it was tag #65, which was identified to be IFAW10-113La, an adult female that stranded on Friday March 26, 2010 in Duck Creek in Wellfleet, MA just behind the pier. It was part of a group of 7 Atlantic White-sided dolphins that stranded mid-day. Unfortunately one calf was found dead as staff arrived, however the remaining six adults appeared to be in good health. They were extracted from the mud (like many of our dolphin strandings this year) and then released that evening at Herring Cove in Provincetown, MA.

All six animals were released with orange tags attached to their dorsal fin for future identification. Unfortunately, the following day one of the animals was found dead on a beach in Truro, we are still awaiting test results to try to figure out what may have caused this animal to re-strand.

Rescued Dolphins go high-tech!

This section of the post was filed by Katie Moore, the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Marine Mammal Rescue and Research (MMRR) team Manager.

Sometimes, the hardest days really do turn out to be the most rewarding! Winter is our busiest stranding season and this day tested our stamina. Our first stranding hotline call came mid morning- four dolphins stranded in Wellfleet. One common dolphin was found in Chipman’s Cove. The other three were on Mayo beach, one of which had died before being found.

The MMRR team responded rapidly to assess the live animals and provide supportive care and medical treatment. It was phenomenal to realize that all three of these dolphins were fit for release. Our team members and dedicated volunteers cared for these animals throughout transport to a safe release location at the tip of Cape Cod where they could be released into open water. Through driving wind and alternating rain and sleet, we arrived in at Herring Cove in Provincetown.

As we were preparing to release these three animals (one fitted with a satellite tracking tag), we received two more calls- one dolphin stranded in Truro and three more at another location in Wellfleet. Although it was hard, we had to focus on the three animals in hand. While the other staff members and volunteers released these animals, I frantically made phone calls to find more volunteers to respond to the new dolphins. (I am constantly amazed by our volunteers who venture out in terrible weather to provide care while we’re en route).

IFAW-rescued dolphin spotted with pod in open water

The following report comes from International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Sarah Sharp. Sarah is an Emergency Relief officer and coordinates IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue Team.

September is usually one of our slower months for strandings and as I got out of bed on September 1st and headed out the door for a run, I thought how excited I was to be nearly done with the craziness of summer. Unfortunately, before I could get one foot out the door, the hotline rang at 6:45am. A gentleman living in Wellfleet had just seen two dolphins strand right behind his house on Chequesset Neck Rd. He reported that the animals were about 5-6 feet long and lying on their bellies, and the tide would be rising for another 3 or 4 hours.

Under wind and rain - IFAW rescues stranded dolphins

Posted by IFAW Communications Officer - Michael Booth

The call for help was received at 1:00pm as we were all busy at our office desks and quite happy to have a roof over our heads as rain started to pour down on Cape Cod.

Three dolphins had been reported stranded along the marsh at the Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellfleet and like so many times before everyone immediately burst into motion.

Like clockwork, the team of responders rushed to the warehouse area that houses all the necessary rescue equipment and transport trailers needed to rescue the large cetaceans. It seemed everyone had a phone permanently attached to their ear, getting more information from the field and calling up volunteers.

Within the hour we were there, facing the distressed dolphins. It was cold, it was raining heavily and we were knee-deep in mud but next to us were three Atlantic White-sided dolphins stranded but alive!

Moving them was no simple task, the largest male dolphin was close to 8 feet and carrying his large body on a stretcher through those mud flats required very heavy lifting and patience. Each step was hard-earned but eventually all 3 dolphins were placed inside the transport vehicle where a series of test were done to evaluate their health.

Blood was drawn, tags were being placed on their dorsal fin and there was even an ultrasound device capturing images from inside the dolphin’s organs looking for signs of damage and distress.

It was late in the afternoon when we arrived with the dolphins to Herring Cove. This safe release site is chosen largely because the rescued animals have a clear shot at the open ocean, which dramatically reduces the chances of them ending up stranded again. That day, the ocean surf was far from calm but good enough to send these dolphins back on their way and back to their ocean home.

As they swam away, crowd and volunteers cheered. It was a great ending to a hard working day –a big thank you to IFAW supporters for making these rescues possible.

What Happens After They Swim Away?

Releasing a stranded animal is always an exhilarating experience, but there is a wide range of emotions that go through our heads whenever an animal is released. Often there is an initial sigh of relief after the arduous task of recovering, stabilizing, and transporting the dolphins. As you stand in the surf, squinting your eyes to try and spot a dorsal fin in the suns glare another question starts to quietly pop up in the back of your head. “How will I know if they’re ok?” Responders will ask themselves. As the dorsal fins disappear among the swells that question becomes a nagging one that’s always in the back of your mind. It used to be that if a stranded animal came ashore deceased you pretty much knew the rescue was a failure and if you never saw the animal again you hoped everything was ok.

IFAW Rescues Four Stranded Dolphins In Wellfleet

Cape Cod juts out from the Massachusetts coast like a flexed arm and has historically been a hot spot for marine animal strandings due to this feature. It’s reputation held true with a stranding event yesterday in Wellfleet, MA. Often times whales, dolphins, and even sea turtles will be migrating along the coast and find themselves trapped on the beaches of Cape Cod. Yesterday morning a Fin whale and four Common Dolphins were reported to IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue Team. Instantly the team rapidly assembled a response and headed to Wellfleet.

While some marine mammals, such as seals, naturally spend time on shore, most everything else stays in the water. (ok, another exception that just popped in my head is when Sea Turtles come ashore to lay eggs) When a whale or dolphin winds up on land it’s a life threatening situation that requires quick action. With powerful tails (known as a fluke) and a streamlined shape these animals have evolved to live life in the water. A whale that weighs 30-tons moves effortlessly through the water, but will quickly crush its internal organs under its own weight when on land.

Luckily the Fin whale was herded out to sea yesterday morning and when we arrived on scene four Common Dolphins were sitting on the frozen ground. IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue Team and lots of volunteers showed up to help out with the rescue. The animals appeared healthy so we carefully carried them in stretchers to IFAW’s Emergency Response vehicle waiting near by. A brief road trip to Provincetown at the very tip of Cape Cod and they were one step closer to freedom. The reason we move them to this location is so we can release them where they can easily access open ocean. One of the dolphins was outfitted with a satellite tag that enables us to monitor how effectively we do our job of rescuing dolphins. So far two transmissions from the tag shows the dolphin heading away from land and out to sea.

Just another ordinary day for IFAW Marine Mammal Rescue Team and thanks to their efforts a group of dolphins which would have otherwise perished, are swimming free.

Check out the pictures and map below!

Take a look at this map and you'll understand why Cape Cod is such a hot spot for strandings of marine mammals. 

View Larger Map

Photo of the Week- Rescuers from IFAW Assist White-sided Dolphin

Photo of Week is a feature that highlights the work IFAW does around the world everyday to rescue orphaned, injured, or mistreated animals.

John Delellis and other rescuers from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and The Cape Cod Stranding Network (CCSN) assist white-sided dolphin that was stranded near Wellfleet Harbor on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Changes are on the horizon for the dolphins, whales, and seals that strand on Cape Cod and beaches around the world. The Cape Cod Stranding Network (CCSN), a small non-profit organization founded in 1998 and dedicated to responding to stranded marine mammals on Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts, announced it is in formal discussions to merge with IFAW (the International Fund for Animal Welfare - www.ifaw.org).   

With a staff of only five individuals and a dedicated corps of more than 300 local volunteers, CCSN responds to 500-700 reports of stranded marine mammals each year. Under the proposed agreement, CCSN, including its employees, volunteers, and expertise, would become part of IFAW.  “The entire CCSN staff is incredibly excited about this move.  Utilizing the existing resources at IFAW will lessen our administrative burden, give us access to IFAW’s international scientific and animal rescue experience, and will allow us to better focus on our mission of stranding response, research and public education.  This is a huge leap forward for us and for the animals,” said Katie Touhey, Executive Director and Senior Scientist of CCSN.

Animal Rescue In the Bitter Cold

This past week has been a clear indicator that marine mammal strandings are at another high this year. This time last year IFAW, who provides volunteer support to the Cape Cod Stranding Network (CCSN), responded to an above average number of marine mammal strandings, mostly dolphins.

Again, this year has started of in frighteningly high numbers. So far, 29 animals have stranded! The types of animals that tend to strand on the Cape range from common and white-sided dolphins to pilot whales to several seal species. This area is rich in marine life, and one of the benefits of working on Cape Cod!

Yesterday, 4 of us from the Emergency Relief team responded to an early morning call that several dolphins where spotted in the Welfleet harbor area. Once onsite, we each joined teams that were assigned to care for and sling the stranded dolphins. “Sling” meaning to place the animal on a sling-type carrying device that supports the animal’s body above ground.