A wave of outrage over the death of a bottlenose dolphin found with a hunting arrow lodged in its side has prompted Orange Beach officials and several local organizations to pledge reward money aimed at finding those responsible, with the total pot potentially exceeding $10,000.
The dolphin was discovered dead and stranded on Cotton Bayou in Orange Beach, with a yellow-feathered hunting arrow still embedded in its body. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said preliminary results from a necropsy indicate the animal survived with the arrow lodged in its side for at least five days before ultimately dying from a secondary infection caused by the wound.
Following NOAA’s public appeal for information, the Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust announced a combined reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of whoever was responsible. Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon said the city was prepared to add its own $5,000 reward pending approval from the city attorney, calling the act “pretty serious business” and saying he could not fathom why anyone would shoot a dolphin.
Local nonprofits also stepped forward. Vince Lucido, chairman of the Alabama Gulf Coast Reef and Restoration Foundation, said the group’s board was considering a $1,500 contribution, while the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber, which Lucido is set to chair, planned to vote on whether to add another $1,500. Lucido said he hoped the combined local response would inspire additional donors, potentially pushing the total reward toward $20,000 to $30,000.
The Orange Beach case is the second dolphin death reported in the northern Gulf of Mexico within a two-week span, according to NOAA. Days earlier, a pregnant dolphin was found shot with a firearm near Miramar Beach, Florida, prompting the Whale and Dolphin Conservation group to offer a separate $2,500 reward in that case.
Federal law strictly protects marine mammals along the Gulf Coast. Harassing, harming, killing or feeding wild dolphins is prohibited under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, with violations punishable by fines up to $100,000 and up to a year in jail per offense, whether prosecuted civilly or criminally.
Anyone with information about either dolphin death is asked to contact NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement in Niceville, Florida, or the agency’s national enforcement hotline. Investigators say tips from the public remain critical to identifying those responsible for the attacks on the protected animals.