Fort Myers residents 'shocked' by killing of dolphin

Officials and residents of Fort Myers are "shocked" and disgusted by the slaying of a bottlenose dolphin that was found in May off the coast of Upper Captiva Island.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers discovered the dolphin with a 6-inch stab wound in its head, the results of the necropsy announced Thursday. The playful dolphins make their homes off the Southwest Florida coastline, frolicking in the wakes of boats and capturing the hearts of tourists.

“It’s very, very disappointing,” said Dennis Wagner, captain of a boat for Fish Tale Marina on Fort Myers Beach. “I hope they find who did it and I hope they get what they deserve.”

In case you missed it:Dolphin found dead off Upper Captiva was impaled in the head

And:Crime Stoppers looking for information on killing of bottlenose dolphin

An environmentalist, Wagner has been a boat captain for the last 35 years. He runs dolphin tours, taking thousands of tourists offshore to see the intelligent mammals annually for the Fish Tale Marina.

Investigators from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement said marine mammal experts saw the wound after the dolphin was found dead. The association announced a $38,000 reward for a conviction related to the death, with Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers extending the search for perpetrators to its network.

Wagner believes the key to successful cohabitation with dolphins is respect.

More:5 deadliest dolphin facilities in the United States, according to a Arizona Republic analysis

“I'm very shocked," he said. "There is absolutely nothing that justifies (the killing). I hope they find whoever did that and they get what they deserve.”

Crime Stoppers offers a $3,000 reward for anyone who has evidence that leads to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the death.

“It is heartbreaking to see this awful act of violence perpetrated upon a beautiful, harmless creature,” said Trish Routte, Crime Stoppers Coordinator. “This was, without a doubt, a sick act of cruelty ... .”

Though it is unknown what exactly lead to the death of the dolphin, traits learned from tourists and boaters’ interactions with dolphins may have been a contributing factor, NOAA reported.

“Sometimes people will try to feed dolphins and that will teach them habits that we don’t want them to know,” said Brian Norris, public information officer with Florida Wildlife Conservation. “That may lead them to hanging around boats more than they should.”

The necropsy (an autopsy conducted on an animal) found that the dolphin may have been in a position where it was begging for food when it was killed,  NOAA reported.

The dolphin was last seen swimming around fishing boats with other dolphins that have learned how to beg for food from boaters.

It is illegal to feed dolphins, Norris said.  

Feeding or harassing dolphins is a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable with a fine of up to $500 or 60 days in jail.

“It’s best to just leave them alone,” Norris said.