The male dolphin that washed ashore in West Gilgo Beach on Thursday afternoon died less than a day after marine wildlife rescue workers began the process of trying to re-cooperate the mammal.
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After being recovered from the beach, the dolphin was taken to a veterinary hospital run by the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation where after nearly four hours, he began to swim on his own. But just prior to doing a treatment 9:30 a.m. Friday, the dolphin was having trouble swimming again, became stressed and died, said Rob DiGiovanni, the director and senior biologist for the Riverhead Foundation.
“He really didn’t progress to the state that we would have hoped that an animal that had been given that much time to acclimate,” said DiGiovanni, noting that the results would not have been much different if the dolphin were left in the Atlantic Ocean. “Had it just gone back off the beach it would have just shown up back on the beach or just went down to the bottom.”
Researchers conducted an initial exam, drew blood, took cultures and put it in a tank Thursday night, said DiGiovanni. “The animal was very stressed at that time. It was really having a hard time swimming and it took a long time for it to come around to be able to swim on its own.”
Nassau and Suffolk police had responded to the beach to help biologists carry the dolphin to a truck that is specially equipped to transport injured marine wildlife to the Riverhead Foundation’s headquarters at Hospital at Atlantis Marine World.
A post-mortem exam will be conducted to determine why the dolphin became stranded but preliminary results may take several days and pathology reports may take several weeks to months. Blood reported to be coming from a wound in the dolphin’s tail was believed to have come from scrapes suffered while the dolphin was struggling in the surf, DiGiovanni said.
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The nonprofit Riverhead Foundation is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of seals, sea turtles, whales, dolphins and porpoises. They respond to about 250 annual reports of marine animals—typically between six and 10 dolphins—that have washed ashore across Long Island.
Only a handful of animals that are found each year are still alive when they are recovered. They will soon be releasing 13 seals and seven sea turtles that were previously rescued.
