Dolphin washes ashore this morning in Westport; here is what we know

We have received an update from International Fund for Animal Welfare concerning an incident involving a dolphin on Thursday.

According to Animal Rescue Responder, Olivia Guerra, there was indeed one [large male] common dolphin that they were on site with this morning on Gooseberry Island in Westport.

Stacey Hedman of IFAW noted that “Gooseberry Island is not a typical location where we see these strandings—it was less likely to be a case of the wrong-place-wrong-time as we often see in the fluctuating tides of the Outer Cape. In addition, this solo dolphin was displaying dull behavior and signs of stress.”

IFAW animal rescue veterinarian, Dr. Sarah Sharp, and the team conducted a full health assessment and analyzed blood work to help determine the best course of action to take.

The final decision was humane euthanasia.