Cape May Court House Dolphin Tragically Dies During Rescue Attempt

We now have an update on the dolphin that unfortunately found its way up a creek in Cape May Court House, South Jersey.

The dolphin had been swimming up and down the creek for a number of days, no doubt due to the overwhelming amount of food it could easily obtain. Those fish aren't used to being hunted by the likes of dolphin in those waters, after all. It made them easy targets for the dolphin we lovingly came to call Courtney May.

Dolphins swimming up creeks or rivers is not unheard of, but it's not extremely common either. Dolphins are highly adaptable creatures and can explore new environments, including shallow waterways like creeks, especially if they are chasing prey or seeking shelter. However, the frequency of such events can vary depending on factors like geography, water conditions, and dolphin behavior patterns.

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In the case of Cape May Court House, it was still considered to be a rare occurrence for a dolphin to make its way up a this creek, but this dolphin was determined.

We asked you on air to name the Cape May Court House dolphin. You came up with some pretty awesome suggestions. We liked Courtney May the best since it pays homage to her location.

Sadly, the news regarding the rescue of Courtney is not the kind we hoped to share. According to the folks at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, we now know that Courtney unfortunately did not make it.

Rescue efforts were underway during the morning hours of Friday, May 24th. When the rescue team cast the net, Courtney panicked and tragically passed away within a matter of minutes. While it's not the outcome anybody wanted for the bottlenose dolphin trapped in the CMCH creek, we know that the volunteers, researchers, and everyone at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center did EVERYTHING they could to try to help this poor animal.

We're so thankful to our friends at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, as well as all the volunteers and workers who took up the mission to try and save Courtney. Your efforts are appreciated more than you know.

RIP Courtney May 💔