11 dolphins stranded in Cape Cod rescued by nonprofit

several rescue technicians hold a stranded dolphin in a net before releasing it — The dolphins stranded near Wellfleet’s Chipman’s Cove. Image: Julia Cumes/International Fund for Animal Welfare.

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Chipman’s Cove in Wellfleet, Massachusetts can be treacherous for the sea creatures that must navigate it. Shallow bays, complex tidal flats, and an arm of land that shelters it from the greater harbor and Cape Cod Bay make it a great summer destination for humans and a notorious stranding hotspot for marine life.

Early on Saturday, September 13, worried individuals called the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) stranding hotline (its 508-743‑9548, in case you ever need it), warning the nonprofit that a number of dolphins were in Chipman’s Cove. When IFAW volunteers arrived on the scene, they spotted 12 of the marine mammals that would be threatened by the incoming low tide in only a few hours.

“These strandings happen fast, and every minute counts,” Nicole Hunter, IFAW rescue manager, said in a statement. “Our teams worked through rising heat, shifting tides, and difficult terrain to reach and support these dolphins. We know each animal is an individual life, and every rescue is an act of hope.”

Veterinarians administered IV fluids before the dolphins. CREDIT: Julia Cumes/International Fund for Animal Welfare

The low tide ultimately stranded seven out of the 12 dolphins in different areas of Wellfleet, but IFAW’s people acted quickly. By midday they had moved the stranded animals into the organization’s mobile dolphin rescue unit, where they received IV fluids and other medical treatments, as they were transported to a release site off Provincetown’s Herring Cove Beach.

The next morning, five dolphins spotted elsewhere in Wellfleet were also stranded. Unfortunately, one died before the team could get to it, but the others were also re-released off Herring Cove Beach. On both days, the workers attached a satellite tag to one dolphin for monitoring purposes.

Rescue technicians are gently releasing the dolphins near Provincetown, MA. *CREDIT: Julia Cumes/International Fund for Animal Welfare*.

Of the 12 stranded dolphins, there were six females and six males, all of varying ages. They were common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), which are frequently seen off of Cape Cod. As of September 14, IFAW has been involved in 100 dolphin and porpoise strandings in Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts in 2025.

“To see dolphins stranded is always heartbreaking,” Hunter added. “What sustains us—the rescue teams, the volunteers, the veterinarians—is seeing those same animals swim away. It reminds us why we do this work.”