The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is seeking the public’s help in finding out what happened to a bottlenose dolphin found dead on Fort Myers Beach, Fla. on March 24.
“A necropsy, nonhuman autopsy, revealed the dolphin was impaled in the head with a spear-like object while alive,” NOAA said in a statement.
A photo of the dead animal show a sizable gash above its right eye. She was lactating, officials said. NOAA believes the dolphin died from its injury rather quickly.
“Based on the shape, size and characteristics of the wound, it is suspected that the dolphin was impaled while in a begging position,” officials said. “Begging is not a natural behavior for dolphins and is frequently associated with illegal feeding.”
The public is discouraged from feeding dolphins out of fear that causes them to approach boats and fishing gear, which can put them in danger.
At least 27 dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico have been impaled or shot with guns over the past 20 years, NOAA said.
A sick dolphin that washed ashore on a Texas beach died Sunday after a crowd tried to push the mammal back into the sea and ride her, according to the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
“This type of harassment causes undue stress to wild dolphins, is dangerous for the people who interact with them, and is illegal,” Texas animal advocates tweeted.
