A federal investigation is underway after authorities found the partial remains of a dolphin that appeared to have been butchered on a New Jersey beach last week.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said it responded to a "very disturbing call" on Wednesday, Oct. 30, after the partial remains of a dolphin were found on the beach at Allen Avenue in Allenhurst, N.J. The organization's stranding coordinator arrived to find a common dolphin that "appeared to have been butchered."
"The animal's flesh had been completely removed with clean cuts from a sharp instrument, leaving only the head, dorsal fin and flukes," the organization wrote on Facebook. "The animal's organs, except for the heart and lungs, had been removed."
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said that the night before the remains were found, witnesses reported seeing a live common dolphin struggling in the surf a block away. Witnesses said that dolphin was eventually able to make it over the sandbar and back out to open water. The organization said it is unknown whether it was the same animal.
The dolphin's remains were photographed and documented by MMSC staff before being buried on the beach.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident. Anyone with information relevant to the case is asked to call MMSC's 24-hour hotline at (609) 266-0538.
--with reporting by TMX
