Dolphin’s cause of death remains unknown

Until a dead dolphin found Monday near the U.S. 190 bridge in Baton Rouge is recovered and examined, the cause of death is a mystery, according to state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries staff.

The dolphin was found by a hydrographic survey crew working in the river, said Ashley Wethey, a state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries spokeswoman. It appears to be a bottlenose dolphin, which is a common coastal and offshore species, she said.

“At this time, we are unable to determine how or why this dolphin may have swum this far north,” Wethey said. “We may not be able to determine that even if we are able to recover the carcass.”

Weather conditions Monday made it too difficult to recover the dolphin and recovery and site logistics prevented a retrieval on Tuesday as well, Wethley said.

“A cause of death cannot be determined until the carcass is sampled and possibly brought in for testing and necropsy,” she said.