Parasite may have killed stranded dolphin

A dolphin that died after rescuers found it stranded in a marsh off an East Rockaway park likely succumbed to a parasite that caused brain lesions, rescuers said.

Kim Durham, rescue program director at the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, said results of a necropsy performed Sunday on the young male common dolphin, which had been seen in distress in the bay near Bay County Park's golf course, indicated that the animal likely was afflicted for some time.

"The animal was very thin, to the point where it likely hasn't been eating or taking care of itself for some time," she said, behavior that could have been caused by parasitic lesions she discovered on the animal's brain.

The dolphin was rescued after Riverhead Foundation officials received calls about the dolphin's behavior. Foundation officials and a Nassau County Police marine patrol team searched for the dolphin, finding it at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday trapped in the marsh south of the golf course.

The animal was taken to the foundation's Riverhead headquarters in an ambulance, where it received intravenous fluids, but died about an hour and a half later, Durham said.

She said the rescue was delayed by the fact that bystanders at first didn't know whom to call about the dolphin, which likely had been in the area since Friday.

Witnesses said they saw the dolphin beach itself in the area, and that several people had gone up to pet it while it lay on the sand, Durham said. She said she also got a report that someone had seen the dolphin beaching itself on rocks -- the likely cause of numerous scratches and abrasions on the animal's body.

The dolphin also had an old scar on its tail that appeared to have been caused by a shark bite, Durham said.

Common dolphins swim in groups in the ocean, so finding one in the bay by itself indicated something was wrong with the animal, Durham said.

"A common dolphin in this marsh area is going to be an animal in distress," she said.

Anyone who sees something unusual happening with ocean life should call the foundation's 24-hour stranding hotline at 631-369-9829, Durham said.