Butchered remains of dolphin with its organs removed found on New Jersey beach

The butchered remains of a dolphin with its organs removed were found on a New Jersey beach last week and federal authorities are investigating.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said the partial remains of a common dolphin were found Wednesday on the beach in Allenhurst, just north of Asbury Park. It said the animal appeared to “have been butchered.”

“The animal’s flesh had been completely removed with clean cuts from a sharp instrument, leaving only the head, dorsal fin and flukes,” the center wrote in a statement. “The animal’s organs, except for the heart and lungs, had been removed.”

Witnesses told the center they saw a similar dolphin struggling in the surf Tuesday night a block from where the remains were found the next day. But the dolphin was able to make it over the sandbar and swam back out. It was not known whether it was the same animal whose remains were found.

The remains were brought to the center to be documented and photographed. The carcass was buried on the beach.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement is investigating.

In April, NOAA said it was also investigating the death of a bottlenose dolphin that was shot multiple times in the brain, spinal cord and heart. The remains were found on a beach in Louisiana.

NOAA says “harassing, harming, killing or feeding wild dolphins is prohibited under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.” Violations of the act are punishable by up to a year in jail and up to $100,000 in fines.