8 Dolphins Die After Becoming Stranded on Jersey Shore: 'We Share in the Public's Sorrow'
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center attempted to assist the stranded mammals before decided to “humanely euthanize the dolphins to prevent further suffering”
A pod of eight dolphins are dead after being discovered in a mass stranding event in Sea Isle City on Tuesday morning.
According to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, two of the dolphins were already dead by the time they were found by beachgoers, while the remaining six dolphins were assessed by the group's veterinarian.
"Their conditions were rapidly deteriorating," the MMSC said in a statement on social media. "The decision was made to humanely euthanize the dolphins to prevent further suffering, as returning them to the ocean would have only prolonged their inevitable death."
Authorities are looking into what may have caused the unfortunate event. ABC-6 shared video of the scene on YouTube.
"All eight dolphins have been transported to the NJ State Lab for immediate necropsies," the MMSC shared in the statement. "We share in the public's sorrow for these beautiful animals, and hope that the necropsies will help us understand the reason for their stranding."
The dolphins were discovered around 11 a.m. local time, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Bystanders, the outlet reported, used buckets of water to keep the beached dolphins wet.
Related:35-Ft. Humpback Whale Washes Up on New York Beach: 'This Is a Sad Day'
The eight beached dolphins are just the latest in a series of dolphins and whales washing ashore. Less than two months ago, a 35-foot-long humpback whale washed up on Lido Beach in New York and was found dead by rescue crews.
According to SWNS, shortly after the dead male whale was found, emergency service workers used machinery to pull the whale's body away from the high tide line, cordoned off the carcass, and prepared the dead animal for a necropsy.
"This is a sad day down on the South Shore, this is something you don't want to see," Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin told News 12 about the grim discovery, adding that this is the area's first whale beaching in four years.
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Marine biologists conducted the necropsy and will use the information gathered from the procedure to determine the humpback whale's cause of death. After the necropsy, the animal was buried at the beach, per SWNS.
Officials are especially eager to see the results of the humpback's necropsy as at least ten whales have beached on shores in New York and New Jersey since December. According to WABC, one of the whales died due to a vessel strike, but the cause of death for many of the remaining whales is still unknown.
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