Cape Cod Dolphin Stranding A Sad Record For Animal Rescue Organization

WELLFLEET, MA — Dozens of animal rescuers were called to the scene in Wellfleet over the weekend after news of dolphins in Wellfleet Harbor spread from local police to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Police said they first received the call around 10 a.m. on Friday that approximately 50 dolphins appeared to be in distress in the harbor. By the afternoon that number had grown to a confirmed 80.

Now, officials said 125 Atlantic white-sided dolphins were stranded in Wellfleet in an area called the Herring River Gut. That area is "the epicenter of our mass strandings," IFAW officials said.

If 125 seems like a large number that's because it is. IFAW officials, who deal with strandings on the Cape frequently, said it "may be the largest single mass stranding event in our response history."

On Monday, IFAW officials told the Cape Cod Times that only six or seven dolphins remained in the area, but not all of the stranded dolphins survived. One dolphin was euthanized, the report said, while 13 others have died naturally.

So why do strandings happen so often on Cape Cod?

"There is no set reason for why these dolphins strand. Cape Cod is a global stranding hotspot due to the curvature of our shores and the fluctuation of our tides," IFAW officials said.