In the past week a dolphin carcass was found in the Shrewsbury River and a second in the Navasink. It's too soon to tell if they are from the group of 16 dolphins that lived in the rivers last year. Animal rescuers wanted to move the mammals back to sea but federal officials decided not to.
"Our decision was to let these wild free swimming animals behave as naturally as possible and we certainly acknowledged all along that we couldn't guarantee that all of them would live," says Teri Frady, Spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The carcasses of both dolphins are too decomposed to make an accurate match with the photo-id catalogue to see if they were part of the group of 16. Dorsal fins and body markings are usually used to identify and track dolphins. Experts are trying to use teeth and tissue samples to determine the age, sex, population stock and possible cause of death of the two dolphins.
By: Janet Fried
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