Over 100 dolphins were found stranded off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with the numbers decreasing to 10 to 20 dolphins after a 12-hour rescue effort by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). This event is possibly the largest single mass stranding in the IFAW's 26-year history.
The dolphins were located stranded in shallow mud flats of Wellfleet, in an area known as the 'Gut' or Great Island at the Herring River. The rescue operation was challenging due to the dangerous mud in the area.