Dolphin Spotted in East River

Update with photos:
Watching NYC’s East River Dolphin.

A reader has just reported seeing a dolphin this morning in the East River at 96th Street. She found my post about last summer’s Hudson River dolphin, and called the Riverhead Foundation to report the sighting. Within the last hour, it has been reported swimming in circles between the Randall’s Island pedestrian bridge and Mill Rock. (Thank you to everyone who is keeping me informed!)

Dolphins and other large marine animals occasionally turn up in both the Hudson River and the East River. Here’s hoping this is a healthy animal that finds its way out of the river, either south into New York Harbor or north into Long Island Sound.

Major waterways in NYC. Julius Schorzman, Wikimedia Commons.

I’m reprinting below a bit of info from my post on the Hudson River dolphin in case anyone else spots the dolphin today.

If you are lucky enough to spot the dolphin, please call  the Riverhead Foundation right away at (631) 369-9829 to report the time, location and behavior of the animal.  Assuming the dolphin is still around, the marine wildlife experts of the Riverhead Foundation will try to ascertain whether it is healthy or in need of assistance.  Should the animal show signs of distress, the Foundation is well equipped to care for it with the goal of releasing it back into the wild.

As always, knowledgeable wildlife experts urge people to leave the animal alone, and NOT FEED IT, advice which seems to be a surprisingly difficult instruction for our species to heed.

Oh, and once you’ve contacted the Riverside Foundation, don’t forget to contact me!  I’m guessing the dolphin has returned to the harbor, since I haven’t heard of any sightings since Sunday. But I’d love to know more about the NYC dolphin – or any other interesting wildlife encounters you may have.  You can always reach me by leaving a comment on Out Walking the Dog or you can email me at outwalkingthedognyc@gmail.com.

And remember: keep your eyes peeled as you walk the city. You never know what you might see out there.

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Tags: dolphin in East River, dolphin NYC, marine mammals NYC

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