Dead Dolphins Washing Up Along Gulf Shore

Four babies collected since Monday; total for year is 28
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 23, 2011 9:14 AM CST
Dead Dolphins Washing Up Along Gulf Shore
Institute for Marine Mammal Studies veterinary technician Wendy Hatchett lifts a dead bottlenose dolphin that was found on Ono Island, Ala., and brought for examination to Gulfport, Miss.   (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

More sad news from the Gulf: Four baby dolphins have washed up on the shores of Mississippi since Monday—adding to a growing tally. The Sun Herald reports that 18 stillborn or infant dolphins, some not even three feet long, have been collected this year. They're washing ashore at 10 times the normal rate, say researchers. A total of 28 dead dolphins have been reported thus far this year. "With the oil spill, it is difficult," says a researcher. "We’re trying to determine what’s causing this. It could be infectious related. Or it could be non-infection." (More Gulf of Mexico stories.)

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