Beach Horror: Two Dolphins In Florida Found Stabbed, Shot To Death
Feb. 12 2020, Published 6:17 p.m. ET
Florida officials are offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information on the brutal killings of two dolphins, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a press release from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission revealed they found the first dolphin in Naples with a wound from either a "bullet or a sharp object."
Shortly after, within the same week, a second dolphin was found dead at Pensacola Beach with a bullet in its side.
“These cases can rarely be solved without the public, people coming forward and saying they might have seen something, and we can follow up on that,” Tracy Dunn, assistant director of NOAA’s Southeast law enforcement division, told USA Today.
The deaths of the majestic mammals come less than a year after another dolphin was found dead in Captiva Island, FL last May in what appeared to be a horrific execution. The dolphin was found with a fatal bullet wound blast to its head.
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An investigation into these senseless deaths remains ongoing.
Killing, hunting, harassing, or feeding dolphins can result in a $100,000 fine or up to a year in jail.
Since 2002, at least 29 dolphins have died in U.S., with evidence that their deaths stemmed from a gunshot or stab wound.
Biologists believe the deaths may be partially due to people feeding the animals, which attracts them to humans.
Anyone with information about the recent deaths is encouraged to call the NOAA Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964.