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| Don't Feed The Dolphin Video | ||||||||
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| MMSC is pleased to report that Llya, the manatee rescued from Linden, NJ and transported to Miami Seaquarium was released to his ocean home on December 15! | ||||||||
   Thanks to our friends at the Miami Seaquarium for helping us return Iiya to freedom |
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| The Press Of Atlantic City | ||||||||
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Baby whale
euthanized after washing up off A.C. The pygmy sperm whale's health probably deteriorated after it was separated from its mother. By EMILY PREVITI Staff Writer |
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BRIGANTINE — A baby whale was euthanized Tuesday
night, less than 12 hours after local surfers reported it stranded off
Atlantic City. Veterinarians determined malnutrition and dehydration had
caused irreparable injury to the animal, according to Bob Schoelkopf,
director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine.  Several
surfers called the center just before 7 am. to report the baby pygmy
sperm whale thrashing at the shoreline at South Carolina Avenue in
Atlantic City. The species has a sensitive heart, so Schoelkopf summoned a veterinary cardiologist to assess the mammal. Although its heart appeared to function normally, the whale had gone without food long enough that its weight had dropped to 100 pounds, as little as half of what experts consider appropriate for its size (5 feet, 11 inches) and age (between 2 and 3 years old). While at the center, the whale's skin sloughed off and it appeared lethargic, both indicators that its body had started to shut down, Schoelkopf said. Adam Law, 33, of Absecon, said he stayed with the whale at the beach as he and other surfers waited for center staff to arrive. He used a small container he retrieved from his car to pour water on the animal in an effort to prevent it from overheating in its apparent panic. He said he also shifted the whale to keep its blowhole clear and prevent it from drowning in the waves rolling ashore. Law, a science teacher at Northfield Community School, said in an e-mail Tuesday afternoon that he hoped the whale would get better. "I didn't get to catch any waves this morning, but I figure I'll have some good ones coming to me in the future for helping this magnificent creature," he wrote. Law was unavailable for comment Tuesday night. Law noted the cuts that covered the whale's body, which Schoelkopf attributed to jetties the whale.hit on its way to the beach. "It looked like someone took a razor blade and started slicing it up," Schoelkopf said. The whale's health likely deteriorated after it was separated from its mother. Normally, that would happen after the mother dies. Whether that happened in this case is not known because no one has reported finding an adult pygmy sperm whale carcass, Schoelkopf said. The species rarely ventures close to shore, sticking mainly to deep waters in the middle of the ocean, he said. The center will send the whale's heart to the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, which has campuses throughout Florida. Contact Emily Previti: 609-272-7221 EPreviti@pressofac.com |
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