Stranded dolphins rescued by lifeguards does not make it!

Lifeguards attempted to rescue a stranded dolphin Friday at Robert Moses State Park before the animal eventually died, officials reported.The 6-1/2 foot, 250-pound Striped male dolphin was first spotted by swimmers Friday afternoon when it beached itself at Field 5.Shortly after lifeguards got the animal back into the water, it stranded once more at Field 3. At that point, park officials alerted the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.

Rob DiGiovanni, the foundation director, said the animal died before his staff arrived."Had it survived, we could have brought it back and tried to rehabilitate it," he said. "At this point we'll take it back and try to figure out what was wrong."DiGiovanni said it's not uncommon for Stripped dolphins to strand this time of year, but his staff has noticed a slight upswing in strandings recently. He said he hopes this latest incident might shed light on the problem.