Cape Cod volunteers race to rescue 45 dolphins stranded on beach

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A group of volunteers over the weekend worked to save 45 dolphins stranded on a beach in Cape Cod, Mass., known locally as The Gut.

Roughly 50 volunteers with the International Fund for Animal Welfare responded around 7 a.m. Sunday to a stretch of beach in Wellfleet after harbor officials found the struggling marine mammals, the Cape Cod Times reported.

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Many of the dolphins were already sunburned and overheating by the time the organization's Marine Mammal Rescue and Research team arrived, Stacey Hedman, a manager with the Yarmouth-based group, told the paper.

While it was unclear how the dozens of dolphins got stranded, she said it appeared to happen sometime overnight as the tides changed.

“It was a sad scene to see them out of the water, unable to swim,” Hedman said.

She said the team of volunteers used beach-ready stretchers to carry nearly a dozen of the dolphins to safety. They also gave the dolphins IV fluids and vitamins and deployed boats to guide them back to deeper waters.

Two dolphins, however, were in poor health and ultimately were euthanized, Hedman said.

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The organization said teams were on the lookout Monday to make sure dolphins don't get stranded again on the Cape's beaches.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.