FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. — The death of a dolphin that washed ashore was not the result of human interference, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
A picture of the animal was posted to a Facebook group with more than 60,000 members Wednesday.
Thursday morning, FWC staff responded to a deceased female dolphin north of Flagler Beach and conducted a necropsy of the animal on the beach. The agency said the dolphin did not succumb to human-related injuries, for example, a boat strike.
"Our biologists just finished with the necropsy," The FWC said in a statement. "The dolphin had a moderate infection of lung worms and no sign of human interaction. We do not know the cause of death at this time. It was a young female."