If you see one of these guys on the beach, don’t try and yank it back into the ocean. Photo: Unsplash
If you’re lucky, you’ve been in the water when a pod of dolphins cruises by. If you’re even luckier, you’ve shared a wave with one. But sometimes, a dolphin finds itself out of the water and stranded on dry land — which is not where they want to be. Your first instinct is probably to help the stranded dolphin by getting it back into the ocean, which is nice of you. But according to IFLScience and the Institute For Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS), you’d be better to ignore that instinct.
“Rule of thumb: Leave the animal exactly where it is until help arrives,” researchers at IMMS advise. “If the dolphin is injured you could cause further damage by moving it. You may have to help hold it upright, keeping its blowhole above water. DO NOT PUSH THE ANIMAL BACK INTO THE WATER.”
Aside from the fact that the stranded dolphin may be injured, leaving it alone is also best practice to protect yourself. When an animal strands itself, it does it for a reason, and sometimes that reason is that it’s sick. “Therefore,” IMMS researchers wrote, “please use every precaution to protect yourself from any infectious diseases.”
Although it may be tempting to pet the dolphin — they are very cute, after all — you shouldn’t do that, either. It won’t soothe the animal like you might expect. In fact, it likely will do the opposite. Dolphins (for the most part, anyway) are wild animals and petting isn’t exactly a thing they understand.
What you should do, however, is pretty simple. Call authorities and let them know what you’ve found, then gently pour water on them.
“Dolphins can overheat fast so their skin needs to stay cool and wet,” IMMS explains. “Water needs to be poured over the skin, but avoid the blowhole. Make sure to avoid getting water or debris in the blowhole, keeping it free from obstruction so the animal can breathe.”
This should be obvious, but it’s worth mentioning. If you have a pet, keep it away from the stranded animal. Aside from keeping it wet, it’s best to stay at least 150 feet away from it in order to avoid stressing it anymore than it already is.
For a list of Marine Mammal Stranding Network Coordinators, click here.
