More than 60 dolphins have been beached and stranded along 25 miles of coastline at Cape Cod since Jan. 12, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, or IFAW.
IFAW has saved 19 dolphins, releasing them back into the water. Another 27 are stranded and won't survive, while 32 washed ashore already dead, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Moore explained beached dolphins are typically found in the area, but not in such large numbers.
"It feels like stranding after stranding after stranding," Katie Moore, manager for the group's marine mammal rescue and research, told the newspaper. "It's definitely out of the ordinary."
Three-hundred volunteers and six staff members will continue to monitor the beaches for the next several months, according to the Chicago Tribune.
But it isn't just the beaches IFAW will be monitoring. In the past two years, more than 15 rescued dolphins have received tags, which are used to monitor the dolphins' conditions. This year, IFAW will do the same, according to the Boston Globe .
Lisa Witzke a coastal resident, described the rescue to the Globe:
“You see these animals that are so beautiful but they’re so stressed out,’’ Witzke said. “You feel such compassion and it’s such a humbling experience.’’
IFAW works with all animals, working to protect pets, groups of animals and even habitats by reducing commercial exploitation of animals around the world.
To get involved with IFAW, click here.
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