Beached whale in Ormond Beach euthanized
By Saul Saenz, Reporter Bay News 9
Monday, March 05, 2012 @ 05:33PM
ORMOND BEACH --
A pygmy sperm whale was euthanized Monday, despite efforts to save the whale after it beached itself.
The 12-foot to 15-foot whale beached itself off North Ocean Shore Drive in Ormond Beach.
Witnesses claim they saw two whales in the area. One left, this one ended up on the beach. Volunteers tried to keep the whale out of the sun and wet while waiting for the team from Hubbs SeaWorld Research Institute.
Marine biologists said the whale was sick.
"So when they end up on the beach it's not because they became confused," said Teresa Maza with Hubbs Seaworld, "Or that they got blown in from the wind it's because they're in the process of dying."
There is concern for the second whale, but there's no way of knowing if it too is sick. For now, the euthanized whale will be taken to a lab to see exactly what caused its illness.
Strandings are common to the species, especially in some areas of southeast coast of the United States, and often they strand alive either as single individuals or cow calf pairs. Many have been taken to aquariums where all efforts to keep them alive have been unsuccessful.
Pygmy sperm whales are larger than dolphins, weighing an average of over 800 pounds. They are found in the temperate waters of the Atlantic Ocean and are rarely sighted at sea. Most of the data comes from the whales that have become stranded.
According to the American Cetacean Society, worldwide population figures for the pygmy sperm whale are unknown, but they are not considered endangered.
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