Rescue Group Sees Its 'Largest Single Mass Stranding Event'

As the tide went out Friday in the Great Island area of Wellfleet, Massachusetts, local police started getting calls around 10am local time about 125 or so stranded dolphins. Now, a rescue mission is underway to free the stuck sea creatures that survived, with the International Fund for Animal Welfare calling it "the largest single mass stranding event" it had ever faced, per WCVB. The IFAW dispatched more than 100 staffers and volunteers to help the Atlantic white-sided dolphins along the beachy stretch called "the Gut," with a spokesperson for the group calling the area "a very difficult location with dangerous mud."

Ten of the dolphins had already perished before the IFAW team arrived. It's not completely clear why the dolphins ended up stuck in the first place. "There is no set reason for why these dolphins strand," said IFAW rep Stacey Hedman. "Cape Cod is a global stranding hot spot due to the curvature of our shores and the fluctuation of our tides." In a Facebook post, the agency said it was using three small vessels, and underwater noise machines to try to herd the dolphins back out into the deep. IFAW team members in waders and personal flotation devices also took to the water to help. As the day wore on Friday, the rescuers used "the rising tide to refloat the animals, and now the tide is in their favor," the IFAW noted.

Earlier that day, Hedman had revealed to CNN that her group's strategy was "to triage and aim to support animals, refloat, and herd as many as possible." Hedman added that "luckily, it is cooler today, but these animals will risk sunburn and overheating until the tide rises, and then we have the challenge of herding them into deeper water." The AP notes that on Saturday, rescuers also worked to fend off two new groups of dolphins in the area to prevent them from getting stranded in shallow waters as well. The rescue efforts are being carried out with the assistance of Whale & Dolphin Conservation, the Center for Coastal Studies, the New England Aquarium, and AmeriCorps Cape Cod. (More dolphins stories.)