228 marine mammals of varying species (dolphins, whales, seals, etc.) are in need of rescue each year on the shorelines of Cape Cod. Yet in five weeks 179 dolphins (and dolphins alone) have been discovered stranded in these shallow waters, beaches, and mud flats, unable to swim back to sea. And no one seems to know why.

Professionals can point to no significant changes in tidal conditions or health conditions (scientists are tagging them and checking their health) as a cause. However, dolphins do travel/live in large groups which means whatever is causing the mass stranding is forcing a large number of them into the horrible situation.

Volunteers are working around the clock on the rescues, which is awesome. Yet of the 179 discovered only 71 were alive. Of those 53 were successfully released back into safe waters. Thankfully, there are people who are willing to pause their own lives to help get these dolphins survive. We can only hope professionals will discover the origin of the problem and be able to resolve it sooner than later.

For my Tumblr followers you will have seen this on Radar. But I wanted to share for those not using Tumblr because it’s simply too awesome to pass up. A library of photos of this man nursing the dolphin back to health have been posted if you want to see more.

Via: urlesque

Tragic Ending to Endangered Sperm Whale

The National Post posted a photo of a 20-ton endangered Sperm Whale in the North Sea who beached herself alive on the shores of England. Upon some research I discovered a Mail Online article with details about the event.

They report that “frantic efforts were made to save the 20-ton creature after the gentle giant” as fire fighters attempted to keep the whale alive with water hoses. However, according to Richard Ilderton of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, this would have been a mistake even if they had succeeded in their efforts.

Mr. Ilderton claims that Sperm Whales aren’t prevalent in the North Sea because there isn’t enough food here to sustain whales of their size. So it is assumed she was lost and disoriented, leading to her eventual venture into shallow waters. He noted that even if they were able to put the animal back out to sea, “all we would be doing is putting it back out to starve, which is massively cruel and against what we want to do.”

Sounds like a tough decision for them to make. Hopefully it was the right one.

Via: nationalpost