Dolphin discovered on P.E.I.’s North Shore was infested with parasites, necropsy finds

A necropsy performed on a dolphin discovered stranded on Blooming Point Beach last October found the animal was infested with parasites.

Tonya Wimmer, co-executive director and director of conservation with the Marine Animal Response Society, said the dolphin had severe pneumonia from a severe infestation of lungworms, causing the dolphin to have problems breathing.

Wimmer said the call about the stranded female common dolphin came the evening of Oct. 10, 2025. Witnesses on site said they thought the animal was in “fairly good shape.”

Fisheries officials arrived at the beach about an hour after the initial call. Wimmer said the dolphin was still alive but seemed to be struggling to breathe.

Because of the late hour, windy conditions, and concerns for human safety, officials made the “very hard decision” to leave the dolphin and re-evaluate the next morning. By that time, however, it had died, Wimmer said.

Provincial staff retrieved the carcass and took it to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, which is based out of the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown. There, veterinarians tried to determine why it was alone and how it became stranded.

“They did the necropsy and they found out that it was really compromised,” she said. 

Veterinarians discovered the dolphin also had flatworms called trematodes, commonly known as flukes, in its ears, which likely disoriented it and led to it becoming stranded.

“A lot of things were at play, and really the long and short of it is that the animal is actually quite unhealthy,” Wimmer said. 

“All the right decisions are made in terms of the assessment of the animal and what its prognosis would be to be able to … refloat it and have it go off and live a healthy life.”

Dolphins discovered alone are concerning, Wimmer said, because they normally travel in large groups. In this case, the parasites may have caused the dolphin to become so ill it could not keep up with its pod.

Wimmer said it’s not unusual for wildlife of any kind, on land or water, to become disoriented and stranded. What people can take from this situation, she said, is how to respond if they come across a stranding.

“I hope a lot of what comes out of incidents like these, although very sad, and they’re heartbreaking even for those of us who’ve been doing this a long time is that … some of this is very natural,” she said.

“The greatest thing I always see with these incidents is just people being concerned … because they are very caring and very passionate about these animals, and that’s wonderful.”