video transcript

A dolphin fights for life in a polluted canal in New York City. The disorientated mammal was spotted on Friday (January 25) in the shallow waters of Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal. But it died later in the day. Witnesses said the dolphin struggled with the canal's muddy floor. Biologists had been monitoring the animal, in the hope it would swim out at high tide. SOUNDBITE: JULIKA WOCIAL, RESCUE PROGRAM SUPERVISOR, RIVERHEAD FOUNDATION FOR MARINE RESEARCH AND PRESERVATION AT LONG ISLAND AQUARIUM, SAYING (English): "Any type of intervention, whether it's a rescue attempt or herding attempt or anything like that has to be really well thought of because in many situations it actually has a negative effect on the animal as opposed to a positive effect." Local media say the dolphin will be examined to determine a cause of death.