Group pushes beached dolphin back into Gulf, but should they have

A group in Naples celebrating after pushing a beached dolphin back out to the Gulf, but wildlife experts say this is nothing to celebrate.

Touching a marine animal that is stranded on the beach could actually hurt them. Sometimes, they’ll even go back to the water more hurt than they started.

Too often Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission finds out about beached marine mammals through social media. Because it’s our natural instinct to want to help, Denise Boyd with FWC shared her thoughts.

“Folks are proud and they put those out there thinking they’ve helped when in fact, they didn’t realize that they could have made the situation worse,” Boyd said.

Worse, like in the case of the beached dolphin in Naples. You can see people working together dumping water on the dolphin, attempting to lift and carry it back into the water. And when they eventually do, they all celebrate and cheer.

“What they didn’t realize is oftentimes, manatees, dolphins come in and beach themselves because they’re sick or injured,” Boyd said. “If the animals are pushed back out, and they are in distress, they can beach again, in further distress, so we’ve delayed treatment, or they can come back in deceased.”

Boyd used an analogy to explain the point. If you drove yourself to an emergency room and people in the parking lot saw you and thought you were okay. You never got to see a doctor and were then sent you back out into traffic.

If you see a beached marine mammal, “Stop for a moment, call our 24-hour hotline and let a biologist assess the situation and the animal prior to taking any action,” said Boyd.

FWC recommends using your cell phone to make a call instead of taking a video. To report animals in distress call FWC at 888-404-3922. For more information on how to contact FWC click here.