Cape Cod opens first intensive care unit for dolphins 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 clinic later this month
- Stranded dolphins are often stressed and dehydrated, requiring additional diagnostics, treatment and recovery time
- Cape Cod has more stranded dolphins, whales and porpoises than any other shore in the world
The first-of-its-kind dolphin intensive care unit will open in Cape Cod after 400 animals 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 on Thursday that it will open the first short-term animal hospital of its kind in Massachusetts later this month.
Currently, IFAW members treat the dolphins on site before immediately releasing them. As a result, the dolphins do not have the time they need to fully recover.
Stranded dolphins are often stressed and dehydrated, requiring additional diagnosis, treatment and recovery time before being released back into the ocean.
The rehabilitation center will be unique because it aims to release animals within four days, rather than taking months or even years of care like other similar facilities.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) announced Thursday that it will open a one-of-a-kind short-term hospital for dolphins in Cape Cod later this month
Cape Cod has more stranded dolphins and porpoises than any other shore in the world
Brian Sharp, leader of IFAW’s marine mammal rescue and research team, said, “This is the first time this has been attempted before.”
“Currently there are no such facilities for dolphins north of Florida, so IFAW staff have to treat the stranded animals only in the field,” he added.
“However, some dolphins are not receiving the care they need to survive under the current paradigm.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has already evaluated the facility with positive feedback, so it is expected to open in the next few days, IFAW told on Thursday.
Cape Cod has more stranded dolphins, whales and porpoises than any other shore in the world.
Although it is a good habitat for these mammals, its geographic location can make it difficult for them to navigate the region. In addition, high water can quickly alter the shoreline.
On Thursday, IFAW members were seen helping two stranded dolphins in the The Creeks area of Nantucket
IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue & Research team, formerly known as the Cape Cod Stranding Network, has been responding to mammalian strandings in the region for 25 years
One theory says that when the tide goes out, the sea creatures get stranded in search of food. At low tide the dolphins strand.
On Thursday, IFAW members were seen helping two stranded dolphins in the The Creeks area of Nantucket. They believed they were the same dolphins stranded in Polpis harbor on Wednesday night
IFAW has transformed a former retail area into a space with two large tanks, 15 to 16 feet in diameter, and filtration systems to house the stranded dolphins.
The group hopes that the center will help not only with treating the mammals, but also with research.
The center will also have an office and a veterinary laboratory.
It is initially expected to take about 12 patients per year – one at a time.
The center will not be open to the public, but people will be able to view educational materials and activities at the facility via a publicly accessible video surveillance center in the front room.
“The entrance will include a 300-square-foot education and public center that will tell the story of Cape Cod strandings, what we learn from strandings and will have a monitor that will stream the rehab pools live when patients are in the house.” the group said in a statement.
IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue & Research team, formerly known as the Cape Cod Stranding Network, has been responding to mammalian strandings in the region for 25 years.