UPDATE: 125 dolphins stranded on Cape Cod, rescuers reported

UPDATE: One hundred twenty-five Atlantic white-sided dolphins stranded in Wellfleet waters and 10 had died before the International Fund for Animal Welfare arrived, according to the agency Friday afternoon. "This is the largest single mass stranding event in IFAW’s response history over 25 years," Stacey Hedman, communications director for IFAW, wrote in a statement.

WELLFLEET — More than 80 Atlantic white-sided dolphins became stranded in Wellfleet on Friday around the time of low tide. At about 11:30 a.m. the animals were scattered across a large area known as the Gut, between Great Island and the Herring River dike.

Many of the animals were completely out of the water, while some were visible in shallow water nearby. Many had been covered with tarps to protect them from the sun. Rescuers from the International Fund for Animal Welfare were aiding the stranded dolphins.

At the scene, Misty Niemeyer, stranding coordinator for IFAW's Marine Mammal Rescue Team, said initial reports indicated that 10 dolphins were struggling in the area. "Now we have about 80 to 100 Atlantic white-sided dolphins stranded in the shallow water and the mud here," she said.

Some of the dolphins may already have died. "We do suspect there are a few that have died already," said Niemeyer. "We think maybe about 20, but we're working with the field team down there to get a better estimate."

But as the tide began to turn, there was hope that some of the dolphins could be saved.

"If we can get them back in the water and get them out of this area, they have a good chance," said Niemeyer. "But this is a very big stranding event, so we're going to do our best."

The size of the stranding is a big challenge for rescuers. "We usually would extract the animals, put them in our trucks and move them outside of this area, but there's just too many animals to do that," said Niemeyer. "So we're going to try and refloat them as the tide comes in and try to encourage them out and try to get as many out as we can."

Niemeyer was asked if this was the largest stranding she had seen in her career. "This is one of the biggest ones that I know of since I've been here, in 15 years," she said.

Eric Williams, when not solving Curious Cape Cod mysteries, writes about a variety of ways to enjoy the Cape, the weather, wildlife and other subjects. Contact him at ewilliams@capecodonline.com. Follow him on X: @capecast.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: 125-dolphin stranding on Cape Cod: Rescuers worked to save, animals