Cape Cod opens first-ever dolphin intensive care unit after 400 marine mammals were found stranded on its beaches in just five years – more than anywhere else in the world
- The International Fund for Animal Welfare will open the short-term veterinary hospital later this month.
- Stranded dolphins are often stressed and dehydrated and need additional diagnosis, treatment and recovery time.
- Cape Cod sees more beached dolphins, whales and porpoises than any other coast in the world.
The first-ever dolphin intensive care unit of its kind opens on Cape Cod after 400 dolphins were found stranded in the area in just five years, more than anywhere else in the world.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) announced Thursday that it will open a short-term veterinary hospital later this month in Massachusetts.
For now, IFAW members are treating the dolphins on the spot before releasing them immediately, which doesn’t give them the time they need to fully recover.
Stranded dolphins are often stressed and dehydrated and need additional diagnostics, treatment and recovery time before being released back into the ocean.
The rehabilitation center will be unique because it aims to free the animals in four days, instead of caring for them for months or even years, as other similar facilities do.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) announced Thursday that it will open a short-term dolphin hospital, the first of its kind, later this month on Cape Cod.
Cape Cod sees more beached dolphins and porpoises than any other coast in the world
Brian Sharp, Director of IFAW’s Marine Mammal Research and Rescue Team, said: “This is the first time this has been attempted before. »
“Currently, there are no such facilities for dolphins in North Florida, requiring IFAW staff to care for stranded animals only in the field,” he added.
“However, under the current paradigm, some dolphins cannot receive the care they need to survive.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has already assessed the facility with positive feedback and so it is expected to open in the coming days, IFAW told DailyMail.com on Thursday.
Cape Cod sees more beached dolphins, whales and porpoises than any other coast in the world.
Although it is a good habitat for these mammals, its geography can make it difficult for them to navigate the area. In addition, high tides can quickly alter the coastline.
On Thursday, IFAW members were seen helping two stranded dolphins in the The Creeks area of Nantucket.
IFAW’s Marine Mammal Search and Rescue team, formerly known as the Cape Cod Stranding Network, has been responding to mammal strandings in the region for 25 years.
One theory is that sea creatures get stranded at low tide as they hunt for food. When the tide goes out, the dolphins run aground.
On Thursday, IFAW members were seen helping two stranded dolphins in the The Creeks area of Nantucket. They thought they were the same dolphins seen stranded Wednesday night in the port of Polpis.
IFAW renovated a former retail space with a room containing two large pools 15 to 16 feet in diameter and filtration systems to accommodate stranded dolphins.
The group hopes that the center will not only contribute to the treatment of mammals, but also to research.
The center will also include an office and a veterinary laboratory.
It should initially accommodate around 12 patients per year, one at a time.
The center will not be open to the public, but people will be able to watch educational materials and activities at the facility through a public outreach center with CCTV located in the front room.
“Admission includes a 300 square foot Education and Outreach Center that will tell the story of the Cape Cod strandings, what we learn from the strandings and will have a monitor that will livestream the pools rehabilitation when patients are on site,” the group said in a statement.
IFAW’s Marine Mammal Search and Rescue team, formerly known as the Cape Cod Stranding Network, has been responding to mammal strandings in the region for 25 years.
