The dolphin was observed to be bleeding as it swam in the frozen waters. (EPA)
The wayward, injured dolphin that showed up in the Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal has died, experts said tonight.
The six-foot Common Dolphin captivated onlookers today when it appeared in the heavily-polluted waterway and began swimming in circles, apparently in distress.
Police didn’t mount a rescue attempt and were hoping that the high tide just after 7 p.m. would allow the animal to swim to safety, but the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation said the dolphin died just after 6 p.m.
Police and experts from the Riverhead Foundation arriving at the scene decided to hold off on a rescue and wait for the tide over fears that the toxic mud filling the canal could pose a danger to rescuers, Riverhead biologist Julika Wocial said.
“We’re concerned about the animal but we’re concerned about our safety first,” Wocial said.
As the drama unfolded, an unidentified man clambered down to the water’s edge just after 5 p.m. and was able to pet the dolphin, but was unable to help the animal.
The dolphin became the second marine mammal to meet its doom in the Gowanus in recent years. In 2007, a small whale became trapped in the waterway and died a day later.
The dolphin started the day at the base of the mouth of the canal, but three hours later found itself far up the channel — where it began exhibiting behavior that experts called “troubling.”
Raising concerns early was the fact that the dolphin was alone. Social animals, they normally travel in pods.
Bobby Minai, 51, co-owner of 4th Avenue Transport, was surprised to see any life in the Gowanus, let alone a dolphin.
“The water is so murky, I didn’t even think fish could live in there,” Minai said.