Dolphins spotted swimming in New York City’s East River
Graceful creatures swam around for about 20 minutes before heading toward the Brooklyn Bridge
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.When people relaxing in a Brooklyn park looked out at the East River on Tuesday, they saw something unusual: dolphins.
“It was pretty crazy,” Cailin Doran, an actress from California who was there that morning, told the Brooklyn Paper. “I was just out there enjoying my coffee on a bench. I couldn’t believe it was real.”
In a pair of videos Ms Doran posted on Twitter, three dolphins can be seen swimming peacefully through the less-than-pristine waters in front of WNYC Transmitter Park. One dolphin is smaller than the other two, which Ms Doran believes could mean they’re a family.
“They were just kind of playing,” she said. “They didn’t seem bothered by anything. Everyone was very mesmerized by the whole spectacle.”
The graceful creatures hung around for about 20 minutes and then headed toward the Brooklyn Bridge, Ms Doran said.
Read more:
The New York Marine Rescue Center, an animal rescue organisation, said the dolphins appeared to be healthy.
“The dolphins were observed free swimming and not showing any signs of stress,” Maxine Montello, a spokesperson for the group, toldThe Independent. “We have observed cetaceans utilising this water source frequently.”
Ms Montello encouraged anyone who sees the dolphins to keep their distance and call the NYMRC hotline, at 631-369-9829.
Civic leaders hailed the dolphins’ arrival.
“Ah em...so glad to see these guys enjoying a Harbor that is cleaner today than it has been since the Civil War,” tweeted the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
“Proud to now represent dolphins in our district!” New York State Assembly Member Emily Gallagher commented.
Oddly, this is not the first time a dolphin has been spotted in the East River. In 2013, a lone bottlenose swam around in the waterway for several days, and experts couldn’t figure out why.
For Ms Doran, this was not only her first time seeing dolphins from WNYC Transmitter Park, but her first time in the park at all – not bad for her first visit.
“I just thought it was such a beautiful day, I got a coffee and sat on the pier and there were dolphins,” the actress told Patch. “It was this serendipitous moment.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments