Dolphin found washed up on Orange Beach after being shot by an arrow is the second dolphin to be killed violently by humans in the past two weeks. Photo: NOAA.
Federal agents are hoping you can help them investigate the deaths of two dolphins violently killed by humans in the Northern Gulf of Mexico in the past two weeks.
These two incidents are the latest in a string of brutal, sadistic killings of dolphins by humans in that region over the past few years. Nobody seems to know who, or why.
From the Pensacola News-Journal:
"We need help," he said, in tracking down who shot these protected mammals. "We have zero leads…zero responses from the public. We're hoping someone will have heard something about these cases or saw something on Facebook."
The pregnant bottlenose dolphin was found dead on Miramar Beach in Choctawhatchee Bay, near Destin around Nov. 21.
A necropsy, or non-human autopsy, revealed the dolphin died of a gunshot wound to her upper right side, likely with a small caliber firearm. She was within weeks of giving birth. The bullet was discovered lodged in the dolphin's lung. It's possible the dolphin may have been shot one to two days before it was found dead, NOAA officials said.
A second dolphin was found on Sunday on Orange Beach with a hunting arrow in its side.
The dolphin shot by an arrow died slowly, over a period of 5 days, according to autopsy results.
This is at least the 13th dolphin shot dead since 2010.
