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In a Facebook post, The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said the bottlenose dolphin died in Cape May Court House on Friday, May 24. The dolphin was first reported in Skeeter Island Creek on Thursday, May 16.
MMSC said a team of a dozen people on three boats tried "less-invasive tactics" to guide the dolphin out of the shallow water without physically handling it. When the specialized herding equipment failed to save the dolphin, the crew tried an in-water rescue "as a last resort."
A net was deployed around the dolphin and brought it toward the shore. The dolphin "panicked" inside the net and died about two minutes later.
The dolphin was brought to the state Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory for a necropsy and samples will be gathered for acoustic testing.
"Our entire team is deeply saddened about this outcome," MMSC said in its post. "Out of habitat cetaceans are the most difficult scenario in marine mammal rescue. As animals that live in the open ocean, this type of habitat is foreign to them and causes immense stress, making the chances of rescue and survival slim."
Two MMSC boats tried to guide the dolphin out of the creek on Saturday, May 18 but it would not leave the area. The animal rehabilitation center in Brigantine received special equipment from an out-of-state partner organization on Tuesday, May 21.
Another bottlenose dolphin was stuck in the same part of the creek in August 2016. Those rescue efforts helped that dolphin eventually return to the bay.
The Marine Mammal Protection Act makes it federally illegal to feed or harass dolphins and other marine mammals. You should not approach a dolphin on your own and you should report any stuck marine mammal to MMSC.
The law enforcement office for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, state Fish and Wildlife conservation officers, and Middle Township first responders helped with the rescue operation.
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