A 6-foot bottlenose dolphin that swam into a remote creek along the Delaware Bay and remained there for a week died Thursday morning during a rescue attempt, officials said.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center spearheaded the effort after learning of the adolescent dolphin’s presence in Riggins Ditch in Cumberland County from a call to their hotline on June 5, the nonprofit said in a statement.
On Thursday morning, after days of planning and daily observations, over two dozen people from several agencies with six boats attempted to relocate the wayward dolphin.
They initially tried to herd the dolphin out of the creek – and hopefully back to the vast ocean by using non-physical, less-invasive maneuvers.
When those did not work, the team opted for a difficult in-water capture, which was successful. As the dolphin was being loaded onto a stranding center vehicle, though, it stopped breathing.
The stranding center veterinarian and center employees tried to resuscitate the dolphin but were unable to save the mammal.
“Upon initial visual inspection it has been noted that the dolphin is underweight and has lesions, likely from exposure to freshwater,” the stranding center said.
It’s the second dolphin death this week. A dolphin rescued by the stranding center in north Brigantine on Tuesday had to be euthanized.
“Our team is deeply saddened by the loss of this dolphin, as well as the loss of the dolphin that stranded in Brigantine earlier in the week,” the center said. “The selflessness shown by the community who came together for the love of these two dolphins was moving.”
The stranding center, located in Brigantine, described the several challenges in aiding the dolphin in Riggins Creek.
“Local watermen reported that dolphins have historically been sighted in the area, however this animal was alone and had not moved out of the area,” the center’s statement said.
The nearest boat ramp for small vessels was nearly 10 miles away across the bay.
Then they had to wait for optimal weather, wind and tidal conditions to align for a safe operation, “for both the dolphin and the first responders.”
Once on scene, and when herding the dolphin back to the ocean failed, the center employees reluctantly went into the water.
“As animals that live in the open ocean, the more confined habitats of back bay estuaries are foreign to them. Human interactions are also a stressor for cetaceans. Both of these factors cause the animal immense physiological stress, ultimately making the chances of rescue and survival slim,” the center said.
The rescuers used the boats to deploy a net across the creek and slowly maneuvered around the dolphin. When they had it in the net, they put it on a marine stretcher, supporting it upright above the water, ensuring it could breathe.
A tractor with a forklift attachment then carefully lifted the stretchered dolphin onto a creek bridge, where a center vehicle was waiting, the center said.
Then the dolphin stopped breathing. A necropsy is scheduled.
The center said several agencies helped at the creek rescue attempt, including the New Jersey State Police Marine Unit, the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, and the local Heislerville and Downe Township, Leesburg Mauricetown fire departments, and Heislerville Mayor Ken Whildin.
“Both cases, despite ending tragically, brought out the best of humanity with first responders and good Samaritans tirelessly working side by side with our team to do what they could to help these beautiful dolphins,” the stranding center said.
Stories by Kevin Shea
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Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com