Extremely Emaciated Whale Died in Florida With Rope In Its Stomach, Wrapped Around Jaw
On 4/27/21 at 11:18 AM EDT
An 18,000lb sperm whale died off the coast of Florida on Saturday after becoming beached. Now, experts are trying to determine whether a rope found wrapped around its jaw and coiled inside its stomach caused it to die.
Responders from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce were alerted to a 26.5ft-long whale with rope around its bottom jaw floating by the shore at Herman s Bay, TCPalm reported.
Blair Mase of the NOAA told the outlet she asked organizations from around the state to get to the area and help the whale as quickly and humanely as possible, but the whale died before veterinarians could assist.
During that time, I was coordinating with veterinarians and other groups around Florida to mobilize and get to the scene so that we could mount a response as humanely and quickly as possible for this whale, Mase told TCPalm Monday.
When the whale came ashore, it was extremely emaciated and had some rope around its lower jaw, Mase said. By the time veterinarians arrived, the animal had died.
Responders sometimes will euthanize a sick or dying whale, but it s a case-by-case basis and depends on whether the animal can be rehabilitated, according to NOAA.
Veternarians conducted a necropsy an autopsy for animals and took blood samples. A further inspection of the whale found more rope in its esophagus and stomach, Mase said. An investigation is underway to determine if that killed the animal.
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