FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Lee County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in identifying the suspect involved in a dead dolphin that was found impaled in the head near Fort Myers Beach.
Ranger Rob Howell was with the FWC crew that initially recovered that dolphin from the water last month.
“The whole community is trying to come together and find out - is it education, is it more awareness on the public side, what we can really do to stop these things from happening," says Howell.
Sheriff Carmine Marceno also held a press conference at Punta Rassa Boat Ramp, in which he pleaded the public for help.
“Whoever’s responsible, I cannot wait for the day, God willing, that they go behind bars. This sickens me, and it’s unacceptable," says the Sheriff.
Ranger Rob hopes that the publicity from the incident leads to fewer dolphin attacks in the future.
“We should also be taking into consideration all the other ones that are dying from boat strikes or from other things around the area that aren’t in the public eye right away," he says.
“The dolphins interact differently with people, they know what’s going on. I’ve heard some of the captains saying ever since that happened, the dolphins being more standoffish and away from the boats and harder to find," he adds, noting the change in the dolphins behavior.
We reached out to other dolphin tour captains for comment around Fort Myers Beach, who didn't respond on Friday.
If you have any information on who might have been involved in this incident, you are encouraged to contact Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers.
