Emily Chan
“This rescue had many challenges due to the number of dolphins, the large size of many of the animals, how spread out they were over a large area, the difficult mud conditions, and the complicated locations from which we could reach them,” Niemeyer said.
There were also a bunch of oyster shells on the ocean floor, and their sharp edges could cut the animals.
The rescuers had to keep them lying on their bellies while they waited for the tide, which wasn’t always easy to do since the dolphins often moved around.
Most of the dolphins had returned to deeper water by sunset. Only 10 to 15 dolphins remained, and they made their way out of the shallow water the next day.
The IFAW team tagged the dolphins so they could monitor which ones survived the traumatic incident in the days that followed.
The NOAA states that if a sick, injured, dead, or stranded marine creature is spotted, it should be reported immediately.
