Eleven dolphins trapped in mud off Wellfleet. Rescuers worked for hours to save them.

Merrily Cassidy, Cape Cod Times

PROVINCETOWN – Ten Atlantic white-sided dolphins were released off Provincetown Tuesday night after stranding on the mud flats in Wellfleet.

A team from the International Fund for Animal Welfare Marine Mammal Rescue, volunteers and AmeriCorps Cape Cod members, about 45 in all, responded after receiving a report of 11 dolphins stranded in Wellfleet Tuesday afternoon before the early evening low tide.

Eight dolphins were found off the Wellfleet pier in Duck Creek. Three others were stranded near the mouth of the Herring River. This area of the river, referred to as "the gut," is a frequent stranding location due to extreme tidal fluctuations and shallow slopes. One dolphin died on scene.

A dolphin is transported off the Wellfleet mud flats after stranding Tuesday. Rescuers responded to a mass dolphin stranding in Wellfleet Tuesday afternoon. Eleven Atlantic white-sided dolphins were found stranded on the outgoing tide. Eight were found in the Duck Creek area and another three were stranded at "the gut," an area near the entrance to the Herring River. Ten of the dolphins were transported to Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown where they were released. One dolphin died. International Fund for Animal Welfare's Marine Mammal Rescue and Research team responded to the mass dolphin stranding as did volunteers and members of AmeriCorps Cape Cod.

Rescuers were met with harsh conditions at both locations with thick muddy flats and pockets of water that they had to navigate as the tide continued to roll out. In Provincetown, rescuers added head lamps to their gear to help illuminate the way as they walked down to Herring Cove Beach pushing the dolphin carts along the sandy path to where they would released.

Over seven hours, the rescuers worked to get the dolphins off the flats and into transport vehicles. Six of the dolphins were transported in IFAW’s mobile dolphin rescue clinic which allows veterinarians and other marine mammal technicians to stabilize the dolphins and perform health assessments before they are released back into deeper water.

Volunteers Craig Bodamer, left, and Paula Putnam wait with a dolphin until it is transported off the flats.
Volunteers Craig Bodamer, left, and Paula Putnam wait with a dolphin until it is transported off the flats.

“This rescue had many challenges due to the number of dolphins, the difficult mud conditions, and having to deal with two simultaneous mass strandings," said Lauren Cooley, IFAW stranding biologist, in a press release. “The team was able to overcome all of these challenges to give these dolphins their best chance at survival.”

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Mass dolphin stranding in Wellfleet: Rescuers saved 10 from the mud

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