Rewards offered after dolphin harassed to death on Texas beach another impaled in Florida

Rewards are being offered in two recent deadly incidents involving dolphins — one that was “harassed to death” on a Texas beach and a second in Florida that was impaled, officials said.

On Friday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced a $20,000 reward was being offered in a March 24 case, in which a dolphin was found dead from impalement with a spear-like object on a Fort Myers Beach.

"It is suspected that the dolphin was impaled while in a begging position," NOAA said. "Begging is not a natural behavior for dolphins and is frequently associated with illegal feeding." 

NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement is offering a second $20,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest or prosecution of those involved in a dolphin's death in Texas, the agency said in April 26 statement.

That dolphin died after washing ashore at Quintana Beach, southwest of Galveston, on April 10. The mammal was pushed back into deeper water as some beachgoers tried to “ride the sick animal,” the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network said on Facebook.

A headline for NOAA's statement says the bottlenose dolphin was "harassed to death." Its cause of death was drowning, NOAA said in the statement.

Such a demise is rare but not impossible for marine mammals, which are more tolerant to surviving without abundant air. An examination by Scientific American concludes some can die when they panic or when they are unable to get to the surface for air.

When people encounter stranded dolphins they should call a rescue organization, keep the animal upright, keep water out of its blowhole, and pour water on it, according to the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network’s website.