Photo: NOAA // UNCW
Someone cut the head off a dolphin carcass in North Carolina. As if that wasn’t enough, the same animal may have died of a disease that can be transmitted to humans. Authorities are looking for who may be responsible.
The investigation into the dolphin’s death and subsequent mutilation is being carried out by the NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement. They were alerted to the situation by a member of the public, who called the Southeast Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline to report a dead dolphin on Lea Island, an undeveloped barrier island north of Wilmington, North Carolina, that can only be accessed by boat. Representatives from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington went to the location and found an eight-foot dolphin that had been mutilated and had its head removed sometime between April 16 and April 18.
The university also suspects the dolphin is carrying Brucella, a bacteria that can cause the disease brucellosis. According to the WHO, the bacterial disease mainly infects cattle, swine, goats, sheep and dogs, but can also be transferred to humans through direct contact with infected animals. Brucellosis can cause flu-like symptoms, including fever, weakness, malaise and weight loss. Luckily, person to person transmission is rare. A necropsy has been performed on the dolphin and complete results and cause of death are pending.
The mutilation of the dolphin is a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which can be prosecuted civilly or criminally and is punishable by up to $100,000 in fines and up to one year in jail per violation. As such, the NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to a criminal conviction or the assessment of a civil penalty. Anyone with information about this incident should call the NOAA Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964.
