30 Stranded Dolphins Saved; Others Not So Lucky

Gerd Traue was on the right beach at the right time to capture an extraordinary sight. She was visiting Arraial do Cabo, Brazil, a small beach town 170 km east of Rio de Janeiro, when 30 dolphins swam right up onto the beach. She caught the whole incident on video.

Stranded on the sand, the dolphins were unable to swim back into the sea. Within seconds people raced down the beach to pull them back into the water. Hauling a heavy, slippery marine mammal back into the sea is difficult, but every dolphin was saved, thanks to beach goers’ quick action.

There have been other incidents of dolphin stranding in recent years. A month earlier, in February 2012, over 100 were stranded on the shores of Cape Code, Massachusetts. Kristina Chew wrote that at least 80 of them were found dead or died shortly after being found.

In the period between February 2010 and April 2012, 714 dolphins and other cetaceans washed up on the northern shore of the Gulf of Mexico, 95 percent of them dead. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration speculates bacteria may have caused many of the deaths, but Chew points out the Deepwater Horizon oil spill may have been even more responsible for the shockingly high numbers of deaths.

Katie Moore, the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Manager of Marine Mammal Rescue says the dolphins’ sociability can be their undoing. When they swim into shallow water, “the bond becomes a liability…and that may be why they mass strand.”

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society suggests a number of other factors that can cause dolphins and whales to swim onto beaches, including hunting, disease, chemical spills and interactions with naval or fisheries ships.

Related Care2 Stories

Over 100 Dolphins Stranded in Cape Cod: Why?

What’s Killing Thousands of Dolphins in the Gulf?

Save Dolphins from Fishing Nets

Declare ‘Human’ Rights for Dolphins and Whales, Scientists Urge

Dog Swims with Wild Dolphins (Video)

Photo clip from video by Gerd Traue

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Duane B.

7:37AM PST on Jan 2, 2013

Thank you for sharing.

January 2
send a green star

KAROLY M.

4:58PM PDT on Sep 4, 2012

Thanks God there was enough people to save them, and thanks to them for saving them!!!

September 4
send a green star

Aina G.

12:37PM PDT on Aug 23, 2012

Thank you,people!!
It's very kind of you! I am proud of you!Great video

August 23
send a green star

12:36PM PDT on Aug 23, 2012

David V.

7:38PM PDT on Aug 22, 2012

Thanks to all who helped get those dolphins back in the water & saved their lives.

August 22
send a green star

Mandy H.

9:04AM PDT on Aug 22, 2012

Thank you people! It's good to know that someone put themselves out there to help save the innocent dolphins from a slow cruel death! You people are heros.

9:50PM PDT on Aug 21, 2012

August 21
send a green star

Leen K.

8:26PM PDT on Aug 21, 2012

Please all noted as what Mr Robin R. commented, thank you..,
As written by Mr. Robin. R
"Amazing that the dolphins were saved! But if you ever find yourself in a situation where you are able to help dolphins who are stranded on a beach, please do not pull them back into the water by their tails. It can cause permanent damage to their spine and back/tail muscles (I learned this in a previous Care2 article). If you have a towel handy (as most people on a beach do) please grab a partner and slide your towelunder the dolphin and use it to lift and carry the dolphin bodily back into the deeper water. Others will follow the example of the first person to help, whether for good or for bad."

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