The wayward dolphin that got stuck in a murky, contaminated Brooklyn canal Friday has died.
Earlier, people gathered on shore to watch as the dolphin meandered through the polluted water of Gowanus canal, which borders the neighborhoods of Red Hook and South Brooklyn. The canal has been known for more than a century for the high level of pollution caused by industrial and other wastes.
Authorities had hoped the dolphin could escape on its own during high tide, but were prepared to put divers in to help if needed.
“We did just get confirmation that it did not make it,” said Joanne Biegert, a spokeswoman for the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, a rescue group in New York.