A bottlenose dolphin trapped for over a week in a New Jersey creek has died after a final rescue attempt failed.
The dolphin was first seen in Skeeter Island Creek, Cape May, on May 16 and has been being tracked since.
An initial rescue effort involving three boats and specialized equipment failed, said the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.
A last attempt to guide the dolphin back to the ocean took place on Friday morning, according to the center’s Facebook post. Initially avoiding physical capture to prevent risk to both the dolphin and rescuers, the crew then tried an in-water capture using a net.
“Once inside the net, the dolphin panicked and died within two minutes,” the center posted on Facebook. “Our team is deeply saddened by this outcome.”
“Out-of-habitat cetaceans are the most challenging in marine mammal rescue. Their unfamiliarity with such environments causes extreme stress, reducing rescue and survival chances.”
The dolphin’s body has been sent to the New Jersey Animal Health and Diagnostic Lab for a full necropsy, officials said.
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The road to hell is paved with good intentions.