WATCH: Two stranded dolphins are returned to waters off Provincetown

PROVINCETOWN, Mass. — Rescuers were able to return two stranded dolphins to their natural habitat on Tuesday.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) says they responded to two separate calls of stranded Risso’s dolphins, sometimes called gray dolphins, in Cape Cod.

The first call came late Monday night when it was reported an adult female Risso’s dolphin was stranded on Ryder’s Beach in Truro. However, due to the time of night when the call was placed, crews determined a rescue effort would be unsafe. They returned to the beach first thing in the morning and found the dolphin was still alive.

Due to the size of the animal, the rescue effort required more than 30 responders from multiple different organizations to move the roughly 700lb mammal from the beach into a vehicle for transport.

While responders were tending to this dolphin, a second call was reportedly made to IFAW’s stranding hotline for a Risso’s dolphin calf stranded in Provincetown a few miles away.

Wildlife officials secured the adult female into the IFAW’s dolphin rescue vehicle and then quickly made their way to Provincetown to tend to the calf.

The calf was located and placed into the vehicle with the other adult. Both were stressed from the stranding event but otherwise healthy, according to rescuers.

Both female and calf were released at Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown. They were fitted with temporary satellite tags so their movements could be tracked at sea.

“Our mobile dolphin rescue vehicle was custom-built to respond to complicated stranding events like this,” said Misty Niemeyer, Stranding Coordinator – Marine Mammal Rescue at IFAW. “We were able to address both stranding events simultaneously leading to the successful release of both animals.”

WATCH: Two stranded dolphins are returned to waters off Provincetown (International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW))

IFAW’s marine mammal rescue team has responded to over 7,000 strandings.

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