Authorities in New Jersey made a gruesome discovery last week when the partial remains of a dolphin were found on a beach in Allenhurst, just north of Asbury Park. The mammal appeared to have been dissected with surgical precision, and investigations are ongoing into how it died and who abused the body.
The incident was brought to public attention via a Facebook post by the Marine Mammal Bending Center. The nonprofit organization, dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of marine mammals, wrote that it responded to a “very disturbing call” on Wednesday, October 30.
“When our Landing Coordinator arrived, he found a common dolphin that appeared to have been cut off,” the post explained. “The animal's flesh was completely removed with clean cuts with a sharp tool, leaving only the head, dorsal fin and liver fluke. The animal's organs, except its heart and lungs, were removed.”
The night before the body was found, the organization wrote that a live dolphin was reported struggling in the surf about a block away. However, eyewitnesses said the animal managed to cross the sandbar and was last seen swimming towards the ocean. So it's unclear whether this is the same dolphin that was later found dead.
The dolphin's remains were brought to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center for “extensive documentation and photography” by staff, and the carcass was buried on the beach, the post said. The case has since been investigated by the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, and the public is asked to call the 24-hour hotline if they have any information.
In April, NOAA's Division of Law Enforcement was investigating another incident in which a bottlenose dolphin was shot to death with a gunshot at West Mae's Beach in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. “The animal appears to have died from trauma that occurred at or near the time of death,” the agency said in a statement at the time, offering a $20,000 reward for any information.
Dolphins are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes hunting, harassing, capturing or killing them a crime. Anyone who violates the law can be fined up to $100,000 and sentenced to one year in prison per violation.