RIGGINS DITCH, N.J. — A stranded bottlenose dolphin died Thursday during a complex rescue operation in Cumberland County, despite coordinated efforts by multiple federal, state, and local agencies.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) began monitoring the dolphin after it was first reported on June 5. Local watermen noted that while dolphins have occasionally been seen in the area, this animal was alone and remained in the confined back bay estuary of Riggins Ditch.
The dolphin’s remote location presented challenges for the rescue team, with the nearest boat ramp nearly ten miles away. Authorities waited for favorable weather, wind, and tidal conditions before launching the rescue on the morning of June 12. More than two dozen responders and six boats from agencies including the New Jersey State Police Marine Unit, New Jersey Fish and Wildlife, NOAA, and local fire departments participated.
High-risk capture fails to save stranded dolphin
Rescuers initially used less-invasive herding techniques to guide the dolphin out of the area, but these attempts were unsuccessful. An in-water capture was then initiated using nets to safely encircle the six-foot-long dolphin. The team secured the animal inside a stretcher and lifted it onto a waiting transport vehicle using a forklift attachment.
While being prepared for transport, the adolescent male dolphin stopped breathing. Despite immediate emergency medical efforts by MMSC’s veterinarian and stranding team, they were unable to resuscitate the animal. The dolphin was transported to the New Jersey Animal Health and Diagnostic Lab for a full necropsy.
According to MMSC, “Out of habitat cetaceans are one of the most difficult scenarios in marine mammal rescue,” as both unfamiliar environments and human interaction contribute to significant physiological stress, reducing survival chances.
