Dolphin Euthanized After Washing Up On Jersey Shore: Officials

SEA ISLE CITY, NJ — A dolphin was euthanized this week after washing ashore in Sea Isle City, hours after beachgoers pushed it back into the water when it first became stranded, officials said.

Sea Isle City police were called to a beach on 29th Street around 7 a.m. Monday after a bystander spotted the dolphin, a city spokesperson told NJ.com.

According to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, beachgoers pushed the male common dolphin back into the water but it washed ashore again three hours later. Authorities then euthanized the dolphin due to poor body condition, according to the center's report. Officials said the dolphin was lethargic and underweight.

The New Jersey Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory is conducting an autopsy on the dolphin. Results are pending, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.

Center records show the dolphin was the first mammal in September to become stranded. Records indicate it was the 11th dolphin to become stranded on a Sea Isle City beach this year.

In March, a "mass stranding event" in Sea Isle City killed eight dolphins. Necropsy results showed the dolphins died of health issues including pulmonary congestion, parasites, bleeding and pneumonia.