N.C. Marine Patrol Officer Todd Midgett was on a routine patrol Monday morning in Kill Devil Hills when he spotted a dolphin barely alive in the surf near Avalon Pier.

According to Karen Sayles, of the National Marine Fisheries Marine Mammal Stranding Network, the Common dolphin was discovered about 10:30 a.m. in the Avalon Beach area of Kill Devil Hills.

"We don't really know exactly what's wrong with her," said Sayles while assisting the animal and fighting the near-freezing temperatures. "You would usually find this type of dolphin in deeper waters, not this close to shore."

The dolphin was successfully moved by pickup truck over to a public boat ramp access along Bay Drive about 2:45 p.m. According to Sayles, it was really the best place where the animal could be kept in the water and halfway out of the weather.

During the time Sayles and a group of volunteers sat in the cold sound waters dressed in wetsuits and hip-waders, they patiently waited for a stranding nit from the Marine Science Museum in Virginia Beach, Va., to arrive.

"She's going to be put into a holding tank at the Marine Science Museum," said Sayles. "She's got a lot more energy, and she seems to be doing a lot better now then when we first found her."

The crew from Virginia arrived shortly after 3:30 p.m., with rubber gloves for handling the animal, a stretcher and several blankets to cover it. Nearly five minutes after arriving, the crew and the group of volunteers loaded the animal into the back of an enclosed semi-truck.

The weather had seemed to be taking its toll on the dolphin, as it shivered through the layers of blankets wrapped around it inside the truck.

According to Judy Spann, media relations coordinator for the Marine Science Museum, the dolphin is doing fine and will be monitored around-the-clock by volunteers and staff for the next three days or so. During the time of rehabilitation, the animal must be held by someone in the water upright in order to rehydrate and stabilize the animal.

"Right now we are still assessing the animal’s condition," said Spann. "We’re still not exactly sure what’s wrong with it, but we have given it some medication for the stress-related problems."

According to Patrick Martone, a National Marine Fisheries area representative in Beaufort, it’s extremely rare to find this species washing up on the shore.

"There were no reports of this type of dolphin stranded last year and there were only two reported in 1998," said Martone. "It almost immediately points to some kind of sickness, trauma or disease, but we’re also looking into other environmental factors like the temperature of the water."

Martone said this time of the year - January through May - is the peak season for the stranding of animals.

National Marine Fisheries Marine Mammal Stranding Network requests that any animals found stranded in North Carolina, either alive or dead, be reported by calling 1-252-728-8762. When placing the call, a representative will ask for a name, phone number, whether or not the animal is alive or dead, the exact location, approximate length of the animal, notable coloration and whether or not the animal has a snout like the bottlenose dolphin.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Network in North Carolina is a collaboration of federal and state agencies, universities, museums, U.S. Coast Guard facilities, local veterinarians and volunteers.