Injured dolphin trapped in New York canal dies after rescuers refused to help because water is ‘too polluted’ to go in

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

A dolphin is struggling to survive Friday night after swimming nearly two miles inland up New York City's Gowanus Canal, one the most polluted waterways in the U.S.

A wayward dolphin died Friday night as it swam deep into the heart of New York City's Gowanus Canal, one of the dirtiest waterways in the United States.
Potential rescuers said they couldn't help the mammal as the canal was too polluted for people to enter the water safely.
Marine experts had hoped high tide, beginning around 7.10 pm, would help the dolphin leave the canal. But the animal was confirmed dead shortly before then, said the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, which didn't know how it died.

The dolphin pokes his head out of murky water, struggling for air

Battling freezing temperatures and thick pollution, the seven-foot-long short-beaked common dolphin made its way almost two miles inland to the end of the waterway, struggling for air as onlookers and authorities lined the canal.
Yet Robert DiGiovanni, senior biologist at the Riverhead Foundation, said: 'Unfortunately, all we can do is watch and wait for the tide to rise, so the animal can get out on its own.
'It’s not safe for us to get people in the water,' DiGiovanni told the New York Daily News.

An injured dolphin, almost seven feet long and weighing about 200 pounds, was discovered in the Gowanus Canal today near Nevins and Union Street in Brooklyn, New York

Broadcast news reports showed it mired in thick black toxic sludge, and authorities said the animal was injured and bleeding from its dorsal fin.
Bundled-up onlookers took cell photos while a news helicopter hovered overhead.
'He keeps going up and down and going from side to side and people are saying we don’t know what’s taking so long to go in there and save him,' Brooklyn resident Cathy Ryan told the Daily News.

Witnesses say the dolphin has been repeatedly trying to shake off sludge from its body

A rescue team looks on as the dolphin pokes it head out of the Gowanus Canal, a narrow waterway that stretches 1.8 miles into Brooklyn from New York Harbor



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The dolphin snatchers: Mail investigation exposes vile trade where animals are sold for up to £100,000 each to aquariums where they suffer unimaginable cruelty

By STEVE BIRD

The cruel sea: A dolphin selected for sale last month in Japan. Others that are 'not suitable' are killed

For the men wearing wetsuits wading in a shallow bay teeming with trapped wild dolphins, the decision is as simple as it is ruthless. Running their hands carefully over each dolphin’s body, they check to ensure the creature is free from scars, particularly on the dorsal and tail fins.
At first glance this human interaction with one of the few creatures said to possess an intellect close to our own appears an act of caring tenderness. But in reality, these are businessmen selecting their merchandise for a multi-million-pound trade in live dolphins. The best specimens (usually young females, or cows) are removed from their families to be sold live for between £50,000 and £100,000 each to aquariums.

The rejects are slaughtered for their meat. Some are speared repeatedly by fisherman circling in motorboats whose propellers often slice the dolphins' skin

The dolphins they reject — the ones with minor blemishes on their skin — are slaughtered where they are trapped in that cove at Taiji on the south coast of Japan.
In a frenzy of violence that has shocked animal lovers and marine environmentalists around the world, some are speared repeatedly by fisherman circling in motorboats whose propellers often slice the dolphins’ skin. Others are simply held underwater to drown.

Killer cove: The dolphins they reject - the ones with minor blemishes on their skin - are trapped in a cove at Taiji on the south coast of Japan

Sometimes, a metal pole is rammed into their blubber in the hope of shattering the mammal’s spine. A cork stopper is then hammered into the hole where the rod was forced in, to try to reduce the blood spilt into the sea — to conceal the extent of the slaughter.

Blood red: Japanese fishermen collect the bodies of harpooned dolphins from the bloody waters of a bay in Taiji

Invariably a few dolphins try to make a break for freedom and attempt to jump over the netting that seals off the bay.
However, amid the blood-red waters almost all of them eventually succumb to their fate. These barbaric scenes took place just before Christmas, during a hunting season when Japanese fishermen ‘harvest’ dolphins to supply to aquariums for human entertainment.

The odds: For every wild dolphin caught to be trained to perform tricks in captivity, around four times that number are slaughtered

It is estimated that for every wild dolphin caught to be trained to perform tricks in captivity, around four times that number are slaughtered.
The fishermen then sell off the meat for about £10 a kilo. They see the creatures as a menace because they pose a threat to the dwindling reserves of fish in the Pacific Ocean.
But for those that survive the slaughter, life might as well be over.The stress a dolphin suffers as a result of being captured, transported and imprisoned in a small tank dramatically reduces its lifespan.

Rounding them up: Fishermen drive bottle-nose dolphins into a net during their annual hunt off Taiji. The 'drive hunt' involved five or six large fishing vessels sailing out to sea to find a pod of dolphins

Fishermen bang metal poles against the side of the boat to disorientate and scare the dolphins

Some dolphins are so distressed by their capture that they commit suicide. the stress that they suffer as a result of being captured dramatically shortens their lifespan

While wild dolphins live for up to 60 or 70 years, captured ones often perish when they are as young as eight, say environmentalists.
According to marine experts, some dolphins are so distressed by their capture that they commit suicide.
One of the most vocal campaigners against the practice is also one of the most knowledgeable — he is the very man who helped create and promote the worldwide aquarium industry.

The hunt is on: Taiji's fishermen are licensed by the national government to catch 2,100 dolphins and pilot whales in the six-month hunting season

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The Doctor Dolittle of Dolphins: Leina, 26, develops strong bond with water mammals after spending eight years swimming with them

By ANTHONY BOND

Stunning: These amazing pictures show free-diver Leina Sato playing with a pod of spinner dolphins off the coast of Hawaii

Humans and dolphins are known to interact well with each other but these incredible pictures show just how well that relationship has developed.
These amazing pictures show free-diver Leina Sato playing with a pod of spinner dolphins off the coast of Hawaii.
And over the years she has built up such an understanding with the intelligent marine mammals that they now even play games together, chasing and catching leaves.

Connection: Over the years she has built up such an understanding with the intelligent marine mammals that they now even play games together, chasing and catching leaves

She started swimming with them eight years ago and instead of her original intention of studying marine biology, she set up her own charter boat company.
This allowed her to dive with them practically every day for four years and to share her love of them with others.
Leina, 26, was born in Tokyo, but moved to France when she was one and again to Hawaii when she was 15.

Dedicated: Leina started swimming with dolphins eight years ago and instead of her original intention of studying marine biology, she set up her own charter boat company

Passionate: Setting up the business allowed Leina to dive with them practically every day for four years and to share her love of them with others

She said: 'Dolphins have always been a strong part in Hawaiian life and culture and swimming with them is like completely losing yourself in another world.'
She described a game they now play where the dolphins find leaves floating on the surface and attach them to themselves before diving and playing catch with them.
She said: 'It's a spontaneous game but I have no idea who initiated it first, human or dolphin. It's a beautiful and simple example of interspecies communication through play.

Well-travelled: Leina, 26, was born in Tokyo, but moved to France when she was one and again to Hawaii when she was 15

'It's basically playing a game of catch with a leaf instead of a ball, and needless to say, it is the dolphin leading the dance since we are so slow and clumsy in comparison.
'The dolphins can be a real tease. They will hook the leaf to their fin or tail and swim slowly, wiggling back and forth, enticing us to follow them in anticipation of the moment they will drop the leaf.

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Catch of the day: Tuna fishermen capture amazing underwater footage of playful dolphins swimming behind their boat

By HELEN LAWSON

The pod of dolphins are unafraid to approach the underwater camera off the back of the fishing boat

An underwater camera captured the unexpected moment a group of fishermen were joined by a pod of dolphins as they sailed off the Californian coast.
Fisherman Mark Peters was attempting to make a film about albacore tuna when the boat was followed for a few minutes by an inquisitive group of Pacific white-sided dolphins.
The delightful footage shows the dolphins swimming together as the boat sails 20 miles off the coast of Santa Cruz, giving a unique glimpse into their activities.

The group swim behind the boat, which was on a tuna fishing mission off the coast of Santa Cruz, California

The group of fisherman are shown laughing and joking as they fish for albacore tuna, and Mr Peters had hoped to capture some underwater footage as the tuna were reeled in.
He was thrilled to spot the surprise guests on his camera, which was trailing behind the boat in a home-made rig, and set the film to music by Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder and Flobots before posting it on video-sharing site Vimeo.

Mark Peters was filming with his fellow fishermen as he tried to document their trip to catch albacore tuna. Instead he posted the video online with captions explaining the moments before the surprise of being joined by the pod of dolphins

A few comments below the video criticise the film's sometimes-graphic depiction of tuna fishing, as the group are shown clubbing the tuna they catch.
But the rare glimpse of the playful dolphins swimming out in the Pacific will delight nature fans.

The footage was taken on a GoPro Hero2 camera held in a rig made by Mark Peters

The film, posted on video-sharing site Vimeo, was set to a rock soundtrack including Pearl Jam's Oceans

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Here’s one dolphin who doesn’t mind a net… as he loves playing basketball with his nose

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

He shoots, he scores: A dolphin at a sanctuary in Cuba has mastered the art of shooting basketball hoops

This dolphin could give some Olympic basketball players a run for their money - as he loves nothing more than shooting hoops using his nose.
The clever dolphin clearly has mastered the art of basketball and scores point after point flipping the ball up through the hoop with his nose.
Amateur photographer Sergio Longhi, 44, captured the athletic animal's incredible sporting feat as it splashed around with keepers at a sanctuary in Cuba.

Riding the wave: The Dolphin celebrates scoring a slam dunk with an energetic display

Sergio, from Sezana, Slovenia, said: 'I love dolphins, and my wife Elizabeth and I had gone to see them splashing around at this sanctuary.
'They are such clever animals, and we were so pleased to see some of them jumping about in the water with their trainers.
'But we were stunned when one trainer threw a ball in with the dolphin and he started performing like this - the animals obviously enjoy the stimulation, and it was a pleasure to watch.

Bathing: The dolphin looks delighted with its sporting prowess as he glides through the water

Making waves: The dolphin delighted visitors to the sanctuary with his energetic antics

'I tried to take the best pictures I could manage, but the show was so breath-taking I forgot to concentrate on my camera.
'It was fascinating to see them dancing, jumping, playing, interacting with the keepers, and behaving like humans.'

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See, Posh does smile! Victoria Beckham smirks as she cosies up to a dolphin in candid Twitter photo

By EMILY SHERIDAN

Finally a smile! Victoria Beckham looks happy to be cuddled up a dolphin at a water park

She was criticised for not smiling during her photocall with the Spice Girls last week. But Victoria Beckham showed she can smile when she wants to... albeit a subtle grin. The fashion designer uploaded a candid Twitter photo of her cosied up to a dolphin on a day out with her children.
Victoria has brought her children to a aquatic park in California so her sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz could swim with dolphins.
And it appears spending time with the beautiful creatures had certainly given Victoria something to smile about.
She wrote: 'Such a special day with the children swimming with dolphins!!! They are so beautiful!!!! x vb.'

'Tired': Victoria stood slightly apart from her Spice Girls bandmates (L-R) Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell and Emma Bunton last week

Posh is back in California after a flying visit to London to launch the new Spice Girls musical Viva Forever!
Victoria was maligned by her critics for being the only Spice Girl in the line-up not to smile and also for her apparently distant body language.
Melanie Chisholm, aka Sporty Spice, defended her former bandmate: 'It’s annoying when people say Victoria wasn’t smiling or didn’t want to be there. She really did.
'It was a flying visit and both her and Melanie [B] were exhausted as they’d flown in from Los Angeles. She was so tired but, among us, she was on great form.
'She’s a very busy lady and in the middle of designing a new range. It's certainly not easy for her.'
Meanwhile, Victoria is preparing for Harper's first birthday party.

Jet-setter: Victoria flew to London for just one night and was back in LA on Thursday

The little girl is set to turn one on July 10th and Victoria has splashed out for an extravagant bash.
A source told Closer magazine: 'Victoria's spending around £50,000.
'The garden will be filled with big pink cuddly toys, pony rides, a bouncy castle, balloons and tons of cupcakes. It'll be totally pink.
'It sounds odd, but she's even hiring special dyed-pink rabbits.
'They haven't had a house party since they got their Beverly Hills mansion totally renovated so they wanted a big celebration to show that off too.'

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Why dolphins can recognise themselves in a mirror (and do tricks for fish) - their brains are surprisingly similar to ours

By ROB WAUGH

Surprisingly smart: 'It was something we were hoping to find, since studies have shown that they have a large brain and high cognitive ability,' says McGowen

Dolphins are born to be intelligent - and share many of the genes that make them brainy with us.
A new study of the genome of the bottlenose dolphin has shown that the aquatic mammals share many genes with human beings.
The finding could be key to understanding why dolphins have such big brains.
Dolphins can recognise themselves in mirrors and understand ideas such as 'zero' - an ability normally restricted to primates such as chimpanzees and humans.
Dolphin brains involve completely different wiring from primates, especially in the neocortex, which is central to higher functions such as reasoning and conscious thought. Dolphins are so distantly related to humans that it's been 95 million years since we had even a remotely common ancestor.

Thanks for all the fish: Bottlenose dolphins are born to be intelligent - and share many of the genes that make them brainy with us

Yet when it comes to intelligence, social behavior and communications, some researchers say dolphins come as close to humans as our ape and monkey cousins.
'We are interested in what makes a big brain from a molecular perspective,’ researcher Michael McGowen, of Wayne State University School of Medicine in Michigan said in an interview with Livescience.
‘We decided to look at genes in the dolphin genome to see if there are similarities in the genes that have changed on the dolphin lineage and those that have changed on the primate lineage.’
They found 228 gene sequences in dolphins had changed significantly relative to other mammals such as cows, dogs, horses and humans.
About one in 10 of those genes affects the nervous system - and could be key to understanding the creatures' mental powers.
'It was something we were hoping to find, since studies have shown that they have a large brain and high cognitive ability,' says McGowen.

‘They understand concepts like zero, abstract concepts. They do everything that chimpanzees do and bonobos can do,’ said Lori Marino, a neuroscientist at Emory University who specializes in dolphin research.
‘The fact is that they are so different from us and so much like us at the same time.’
Dolphin brains look nothing like human brains, Marino said. Yet, she says, ‘the more you learn about them, the more you realize that they do have the capacity and characteristics that we think of when we think of a person.’
These mammals recognize themselves in the mirror and have a sense of social identity.
They not only know who they are, but they also have a sense of who, where and what their groups are.
They interact and comprehend the health and feelings of other dolphins so fast it as if they are online with each other, Marino said.

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Caught on camera: The moment Florida family tugs dolphin by the tail to safety after finding it stranded on a sandbar

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

On a mission: George Heheman and his daughter, Kerry Ware, pull a dolphin to safety after it was stranded on a sandbar in the Intracoastal near Fort George Island, Florida

This is the incredible moment a Florida family rescued a dolphin from shallow waters after spotting it flapping helplessly on a sandbar.
George Heheman and his daughter Kerry Ware were on their boat in the Intracoastal near Fort George Island, Jacksonville when they saw the beached animal stranded above water. A video shot by Mr Heheman's 11-year-old grandson, Justin, captured the ordeal on camera, as the father-daughter team struggled to free the marine mammal they say weighed 300lbs. Ms Ware, 41, told ABC News the family saw the dolphin flapping on top of the water and stopped to see what was going on.
'We were turning the corner and we saw a dolphin that had beached itself on a sandbar and it looked like she was trying to come out of a smaller creek into open water,' she said.

Time is ticking: The tide was going out quickly making the rescue less likely by the minute

The family told the network the dolphin's calf was waiting nearby in deeper waters. They think the mother dolphin may have been feeding the baby in a tidal creek nearby and became stuck as the tide washed out before she returned.
The tide was going out quickly, however, making the rescue less likely by the minute.
Fortunately, Mr Heheman, 72, had recently watched a video of a dolphin rescue, and remembered the animals being pulled to safety by their tails.

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Making friends with Flipper: Snooki laughs in delights as she splashes about with some performing dolphins

By GEORGINA LITTLEJOHN


Talk to the animals: Jersey Shore's Snooki can't contain her delight as she larks about with some dolphins and her friend and co-star JWoww in holiday in Mexico

It's something that many of us have envisaged doing while on an exotic holiday in the sunshine.
Including Jersey Shore's Snooki, who actually got to fulfill her wish of swimming with dolphins yesterday as she took to the water to make friends.
The reality TV star, who is about four months pregnant, was snapped on holiday in Mexico with her friends and Jersey Shore co-stars, enjoying a break in the sun whilst also filming their new reality show.

Nice to meet you! Snooki is greeted by the dolphin with a huge finshake

Snooki, real name Nicole Polizzi, and JWoww, real name Jennifer Farley, were snapped in the ocean playing with friendly dolphins.
The 24-year-old mother-to-be looked delighted as one of the mammals came up and greeted her with a fin shake and then popped up out of the water to nuzzle her hand.

You're so cute! Snooki laughs as the dolphin pops out the water and nuzzles her hand

And JWoww even had the pleasure of a kiss with one of the cute creatures as she and Snooki played with them in the sea.
They are staying in Cancun, a popular celebrity holiday destination, where they are having a holiday but also filming for the new series.
Yesterday, the girls and their large camera crew took a boat to Isla Mujeres for the dolphin swimming session.

They're very friendly: Snooki looked a little unsure about the dolphins when she first got into the water...

... but soon plucked up the courage to stroke one of the pretty mammals

And they looked like they could have stayed there all day as they splashed and played about with their new friends.
Snooki announced earlier this month that she was pregnant by boyfriend Jionni LaValle.
Speaking about her pregnancy on Jersey Shore After House following the season five finale of the show, Snooki said: 'I'm only 24 so it happened kind of quick.


Affectionate: JWoww nuzzles into the dolphin for a kiss

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The happy whistle that's a dolphin saying hello: Animal uses signature sounds to greet other pods

By FIONA MACRAE

Greeting: One member of a pod will emit a unique high-pitched 'getting' while hundreds of feet away from another group - in an activity likened to people introducing themselves

Dolphins use signature whistles, or name calls, to introduce themselves, research shows. One member of a pod will emit its unique high-pitched ‘greeting’ while hundreds of feet away from another group.
The activity is likened to people introducing themselves by name – further proof of the marine mammals’ intelligence.
Researcher Vincent Janik said the second group of dolphins will respond to this greeting, and the pods merge before swimming off together.


Intelligence: The second group of dolphins will respond - and the pods will merge before swimming off together

Captive dolphins have long been known to produce signature whistles but little was known about their use in the wild, so Dr Janik decided to track dolphins swimming off the coast of St Andrews. Typically, as one group of dolphins approached another, one animal would let out a burst of whistles.
This would bring a response from the second group and the two would merge, before swimming off together.
Dr Janik believes the whistles were used as a greeting, rather than as a warning, as dolphins are not territorial and any merging of pods was friendly, rather than aggressive.
Also, when no whistling occurred, the two pods would simply swim past, without any attempt to join together. Normally, just one creature made the introductions.
Dr Janik, of St Andrews University’s sea mammal research unit, says it is possible this animal was some sort of leader.
Or, more likely, the other animals were able to glean extra information about the identity of the approaching pod by using their inbuilt sonar.
With visibility at less than three feet in the North Sea, simple visual identification is not an option at a distance.

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Now more than a HUNDRED dolphins stranded off Cape Cod as scientists mystified why huge numbers are beaching

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Save: Two rescued common dolphins are kept warm with blankets after beaching on a Cape Cod shore

More than a hundred dolphins have now beached off Cape Cod as mammals continue to get inexplicably stranded on the region's beaches.
Three died on Friday, meaning that of 116 common dolphins that have beached since January 12, 84 have died, though rescuers have managed to save the rest.
This year’s strandings dwarf the average of 37 common dolphin strandings annually over the last 12 years, and no one can explain why the numbers have mysteriously spiked this year.

Worker: The International Fund for Animal Welfare's Marine Mammal Rescue Team Manager, Katie Moore places a hand on a rescued common dolphin

Scientists have theories, ranging from geography, weather changes or behaviour of their prey. Mike Booth of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, which is leading rescue efforts, said dolphins remain close off the Cape and more strandings are possible.
Massachusetts lawmakers held a Congressional briefing on the issue Friday and campaigned for federal funding to hep the staff and some 300 trained volunteers, the Cape Cod Times reported.
Friday’s death came after ten dolphins approached Wellfleet, and four beached. Three died and one was rescued.

Rescue: Four common dolphins wait to be released back into Cape Cod Bay, just some of 30 stranded along Cape Cod Bay's shores from Dennis to Wellfleet

Although this time of year is known to be 'high season' for dolphin stranding near Cape Cod, IFAW aren't sure why so many dolphins are beaching now.
One theory is that the marine creates get stranded during low tides while hunting for food. When the tide goes out, the dolphins become stranded.
Katie Moore, a Cape Cod dolphin rescue veteran of 15 years told CNN, that this is only the second time she has seen this many dolphins washing ashore.

Precaution: A rescued common dolphin is given a hearing test before being released back into Cape Cod Bay. Some of the dolphins were also tagged

'Sometimes they come up one at a time, other times we see them 10 at a time,' she said. IFAW's stranding coordinator B. Sharp said: 'This might be the largest dolphin stranding geographically speaking that we've had.'



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Almost 50 dolphins stranded and at least 20 dead on Cape Cod beaches

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Save: Two rescued common dolphins are kept warm with blankets after beaching on a Cape Cod shore

At least 20 dolphins have died after they were washed up on several Cape Cod beaches, according to an animal welfare organization.
More than 40 dolphins have been found stranded close to the shore since Thursday and the number is likely to rise.
Kerry Branon of the International Fund for Animal Welfare says the common dolphins were found in Dennis, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet on Saturday.

Worker: The International Fund for Animal Welfare's Marine Mammal Rescue Team Manager, Katie Moore places a hand on a rescued common dolphin

Location: Between 40 and 50 dolphins have been found stranded close to shores near Cape Cod, Massachusetts

She says of the 28 to 30 dolphins found, 10 to 12 have died and eight were inaccessible to rescuers. They later died.
Almost 20 dolphins have been saved.
She told CNN: 'It may not sound like a high success rate, but when you consider that 27 were alive when they washed up, I think we're doing pretty well.'
The dolphins are two of at least 28 dolphins that stranded along Cape Cod Bay's shores from Dennis to Wellfleet.

Rescue: Four common dolphins wait to be released back into Cape Cod Bay, just some of 30 stranded along Cape Cod Bay's shores from Dennis to Wellfleet


Precaution: A rescued common dolphin is given a hearing test before being released back into Cape Cod Bay. Some of the dolphins were also tagged

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