© NEPAPeople attend to one of the stranded dolphins in St Thomas.
According to NEPA, the dolphins washed up along the White Sand Beach in Holland Bay, St Thomas between Monday and Wednesday morning. The dead dolphins were confirmed to be pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata) which is a smaller member of the oceanic dolphin family.
In the first incident on Monday, NEPA said it received reports that three dolphins were stranded on the beach. On their arrival, NEPA personnel discovered that two of the animals had already died. In a statement Thursday, NEPA said several attempts to refloat the third dolphin failed. It was subsequently euthanized. In the second incident on Wednesday morning, NEPA said it received reports of another stranded dolphin. A response team from NEPA, the Veterinary Services Division and the University of Technology responded. However, by the time they got to the location, it was discovered that the animal was already dead.
Comment: Other records of dead or dying cetaceans (and not previously reported on SOTT) have been noted recently on the coast of Alabama and Western Australia.