A $ 38,000 reward is offered after the death of a Florida dolphin in the head.

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The wound was six inches deep and ended in the skull of the dolphin. He "completely punched" the fabric that was in his path, said NOAA's coordinator for the conservation of bottlenose dolphins, NOAA.

Necropsy revealed that the dolphin was alive when it was impaled, resulting in hemorrhage at the wound site, she explained.

The dolphin was found in a "begging position", which is not natural for wild dolphins, Horstman said. This is a learned behavior imposed when people feed or interact with animals.

"People do not realize that feeding a dolphin in the wild triggers this domino effect," she said.

The dolphin was probably fed by humans throughout its life, she said. The US Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits people from feeding, hunting, harassing or capturing dolphins and other mammals.

Feeding dolphins and changing their behavior could cause their deaths inadvertently, said Horstman. Animals learn to approach open water boats, increasing their vulnerability to man-made injuries, such as tangling in a fishing net or being cut by a boat propeller.

"It is at this point that we begin to see injuries such as boat clashes or intentional damage because the animal is so close," she said. "And sometimes these intimate interactions are not always welcome."

The dolphin killed in May is the 26th found with evidence of intentional damage caused by humans in the Gulf of Mexico since 2002.

The NOAA offers $ 38,000 to anyone who can bring officials to the attacker, but the deputy special agent in charge, Manny Antonaras, said she had not received any leads. Predictors are invited to call 1-800-853-1964.

Dolphins face many dangers

In the Gulf of Mexico, bottlenose dolphins face distinct and unknown dangers.

Since February, at least 290 dolphins have been found dead or injured in states bordering the northern Gulf, a rate three times higher than the historical average. NOAA said it was an unusual mortality event.

Some were covered with lesions corresponding to exposure to fresh water, which could have spread to the Gulf during the winter, officials said.

The previous year, 177 dolphins had been found dead along the southwestern coast of Florida during another unknown mortality event, although NOAA reported that some had tested positive for a toxin causing red tide, harmful algal blooms.
The common bottlenose dolphin is considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which has about 10,000 adults in the wild.

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