THREE dolphins have been horrifically killed in recent months off the coast of Florida — and authorities are trying to figure out who is responsible. A dead dolphin was found last week off Naples, on the state’s southwest coast, from either a bullet or a sharp object, Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said. Separately […]
THREE dolphins have been horrifically killed in recent months off the coast of Florida — and authorities are trying to figure out who is responsible.
A dead dolphin was found last week off Naples, on the state’s southwest coast, from either a bullet or a sharp object, Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
Separately last week, Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge experts found a dolphin in Pensacola Beach with a bullet inside.
In May, a dead dolphin was found in Captiva Island. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the dolphin was speared in the head — while still alive.
The puncture wound, officials said, indicates the dolphin might have been in a begging posture when he was stabbed. Its skull showed evidence of hemorrhaging.
The Miami Herald reports that since 2002, at least 29 dolphins have been shot by bullets or arrows, or have been impaled.
Killing or feeding wild dolphins is illegal and people who are caught can be fined up to $100,000 and sentenced to a year in jail.
Wildlife officials and biologists, per the Herald, think these recent dolphin deaths might have stemmed from humans feeding them.
NOAA is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to convictions or civil penalties for those responsible for the deaths of the two dolphins found last week.
The agency in May was offering $38,000 for any information about the dolphin found speared on Captiva Island, but it’s unclear if that’s a separate or the same reward.
Anyone with information on what’s happened to the dolphins is urged to contact NOAA’s hotline: 800-853-1964.
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