Record! 146 Dolphins Stranded In Cape Cod, The Largest In US History

Dolphins on Cape Cod. (Twitter/@ifawglobal)

The animal rescue organization said it stranded more than 140 dolphins off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States last month became the largest mass stranded event in the history of Uncle Sam's country.

The final review of the data and air imagery from the mass stranded event near Wellflat, which is believed to have started on June 28, revealed that there were 146 dolphins, said the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Wellflat is located in the northeastern branch of Cape Cod. The dolphins were found stranded on the Wellflat shallow mudlands in an area called "Gut," or Pulau Besar on the Herry River.

"We believe 102 survived the events that lasted several days, which (approximately) was a 70 percent survival rate," said Stacey Hedman, director of communications for global animal welfare and conservation nonprofits, which rescued, rehabilitated and released animals., reported CNN July 13.

Seven of the dolphins were injected dead and 37 died naturally, according to Hedman.

Earlier, the organization said last month, the stranding of about 125 Atlantic white-sided dolphins in the area could likely be "the largest mass stranded event" in the organization's history.

Dolphins, whales, or shrinkers are considered stranded "when they are found dead, either on the beach or floating in water, or living on the beach and unable to return to the water," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"These rescues face many challenges due to the number of dolphins, the size of the large number of animals, how widespread they are in large areas, the difficult mud conditions, and the complicated location to reach them", said Niemeyer, the management coordinator stranded for the organization, in a statement last month.

The organization said the mass stranded incident was "considered complete" on July 8, at which time more than 100 dolphins had been returned to their homes in deeper waters. Satellite tracking labels mounted on dolphins show them swimming at a safe distance off the coast, according to Hedman.

"We have received reports from a whale observer ship that has seen several dolphins - identified with temporary signs - now swimming among a group of hundreds of other stranded dolphins, a happy picture!" Hedman said.

Although the previous two events in Hawaii and Florida Keys show dolphins circling in shallow waters, recent events mark the highest number of stranded dolphins in a single event stranded, according to the organization.

More dolphins are stranded along the 12-mile Cape Cod coastline than other locations around the world, according to the organization.