Sunday, 08 June 2025

Bizarre: Decapitated Dolphin Head Found On North Carolina Island

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Wildlife authorities in North Carolina have reported that a decapitated dolphin was discovered on Lea-Hutaff Island.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries’ law enforcement office stated the dolphin was initially found on the island intact.

Days later, when members of the marine mammal stranding team from the University of North Carolina Wilmington arrived on the island to evaluate the dolphin, they discovered its head was cut off.

The office stated, “This animal was intentionally decapitated, a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The remote location where the dolphin was found adds to the difficulty of investigating this incident and cause of death.”

Authorities are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who decapitated the dolphin.

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Check out what The Guardian reported:

Wildlife officials in North Carolina are offering a reward of $20,000 for information about the decapitation of a dolphin on a remote coastal island.

The 8ft-long dolphin was initially found, intact, on Lea-Hutaff Island in the state by a member of the public. When staff from the marine mammal stranding team from the University of North Carolina Wilmington arrived a few days later to investigate, they found the animal’s head had been removed.

“This animal was intentionally decapitated, a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The remote location where the dolphin was found adds to the difficulty of investigating this incident and cause of death,” said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries’ office of law enforcement in a statement.

It added that an initial health assessment of the dolphin showed the animal was likely carrying Brucella, a bacteria that causes the infectious disease brucellosis and can be passed on to humans through direct contact.

Anyone convicted of mutilating the dolphin could face a fine of up to $100,000 and up to a year in jail.

Lea-Hutaff Island is a remote and undeveloped barrier island north of the city of Wilmington and is only accessible by boat. The island is a haven for turtles, as well as shorebirds, wading birds, waterfowl and marsh birds during their nesting, migration and wintering seasons.

Per NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the death and decapitation of a dead bottlenose dolphin on Lea-Hutaff Island. We are asking the public for any information about who may have been involved. We are offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to a criminal conviction or the assessment of a civil penalty.

A member of the public originally reported the stranding of a dead dolphin on Lea Island, near marker 105, to the Southeast Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline on April 15. The area is a remote, undeveloped barrier island north of Wilmington, North Carolina, only accessible by boat. When our stranding network partner, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, went to the reported location, the 8-foot dolphin had been intentionally mutilated and its head removed. They determined that someone intentionally removed its head between April 16 and April 18, after they received the initial stranding report.

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Based on their initial health assessment of the dolphin, the University suspects the animal is carrying Brucella, a bacteria that causes the infectious bacterial disease brucellosis. The disease can be transferred to humans through direct contact. Our stranding network partner performed a necropsy (animal autopsy) and complete results and cause of death are pending.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport.

View the original article here.


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