Dolphin Stranded In Jersey City Waterway Rescued, But Later Dies

A dolphin that was in distress as it struggled in the Morris Canal in Jersey City was saved Monday thanks to a group effort by police, wildlife officers and other responders, the city said in a statement.

A dolphin was rescued from the Morris Canal in Jersey City Monday.
Photo Credit: *Berna Tural*

Paul Milo

07/16/2019 2:22 p.m.

The city's Emergency Services Unit was called to Essex and Hudson streets, within sight of the iconic Colgate Clock, shortly before 5 p.m. There they found the mammal floundering in the shallows near the rocky shoreline.

State Park Police and an animal control officer from the Liberty Humane Society helped in the rescue, which involved using a sheet to hold the dolphin in place to prevent it from crashing into the stones. Sgt. Cassey McKenna of the JCPD entered the canal to help steady the dolphin, the city said.

The rescuers held the dolphin secure as the equipment and personnel needed to safely extract the dolphin were brought to the scene. Staff from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine arrived shortly after 7 p.m. and oversaw the removal of the dolphin from the water.

Despite the extensive effort, however, the dolphin, which appeared underweight, later died at the mammal center, authorities said.

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