Authorities are investigating after the discovery of a dolphin\u2019s remains on a New Jersey beach. Last week, beachgoers in Allenhurst, located just north of Asbury Park, came across the disturbing scene.<\/p>\n
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) reported that the dolphin had been \u201cbutchered,\u201d its body left in a horrifying state.<\/p>\n
According to the MMSC, clean cuts from a sharp tool had stripped the dolphin\u2019s flesh, leaving only its head, dorsal fin, and flukes intact.<\/p>\n
Most of the organs were missing, except for the heart and lungs. \u201cThe animal\u2019s flesh had been completely removed with clean cuts from a sharp instrument,\u201d the center stated.<\/p>\n
Witnesses recalled seeing a dolphin struggling in the surf nearby the evening before, but it managed to swim back out to sea.<\/p>\n
Whether that dolphin was the same one discovered later is still unclear.<\/p>\n
The remains were taken in by the MMSC for documentation, and the carcass was buried afterward.<\/p>\n
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is leading the investigation. Federal authorities, including NOAA\u2019s Office of Law Enforcement, are also examining a previous incident in Louisiana from April when a bottlenose dolphin was found shot multiple times.<\/p>\n
NOAA emphasizes the importance of protecting marine mammals, stating that harming or killing wild dolphins is a serious offense under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.<\/p>\n
Offenders face penalties that include up to a year in prison and fines as high as $100,000.<\/p>\n