A pair of dolphins died in a series of strandings in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, this weekend, while a dozen other dolphins were saved on Cape Cod, wildlife rescuers said Monday.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare said Saturday that it rescued 10 dolphins across Cape Cod, and a representative confirmed receiving reports of four more stranded dolphins in the Wellfleet area on Sunday.
The first was saved in the morning and released at Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown, IFAW said. Heading back from that rescue, the group learned of two dolphins found dead in Wellfleet. And after 4 p.m., they were able to move another dolphin from Wellfleet to Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, attaching a satellite tag in the process.
Sunday's rescues brought the total of dolphins saved over the weekend to a dozen dolphins, according to IFAW, which said all strandings were likely related, and all the dolphins from the same species.
“High winds, cold weather, challenging surf and the large size of the animals all contributed to a strenuous response with obstacles at every turn,” said Kira Kasper, a biologist and animal rescue responder at IFAW, in a statement after the rescues on Saturday. “With multiple strandings at different locations, every moment counts.”
