Young whale who was stranded in a tidal pond dies

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WFSB/Gray News) - Wildlife officials said they ran out of options in their efforts to save a whale in Rhode Island.

Mystic Aquarium officials said the whale stranded in South Kingstown had to be euthanized.

The stranded 42-foot long and 25,000-pound fin whale was found in a shallow tidal pond on Thursday.

A resident spotted the whale in Potter Pond around 6:30 a.m. Thursday.

A rescue team from Mystic Aquarium traveled there to help.

The whale was found to be emaciated and in a compromised state, Mystic officials said. After a thorough evaluation by the aquarium’s veterinary team, the whale did not seem to have any apparent or obvious wounds or signs of immediate cause of stranding.

After consulting with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other network partners with expertise in large whales, it was decided to wait for high tide in hopes that the animal would refloat and navigate out of the area. But the whale did not refloat.

Officials said they made the decision to use medical intervention to alleviate the whale’s suffering considering the creature’s poor condition and low likelihood of survival.

Mystic Aquarium and RI DEM personnel said they were with the whale when it passed away around 9:20 p.m. on Thursday.

Friday,, the Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue team worked closely with NOAA and other network partners to conduct a necropsy to learn more about the potential causes of the stranding.

“Our hearts go out to this magnificent creature, and we remain committed to the conservation and welfare of all marine life,” said Eric Anderson, senior director of animal health and welfare.

Through the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the NOAA coordinates a network of organizations, which includes Mystic Aquarium, to respond to stranded or beached whales, dolphins or porpoises in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

“These cases are always heartbreaking, seeing such a beautiful animal in a compromised state. As sad as the outcome is here, I feel some relief that this animal is now at peace. We’ll collect a lot of data today and not only learn more about what happened with this specific whale, but also different threats that this species faces as a whole,” said Sarah Callan, animal rescue program manager.

The whale was towed to a necropsy site on a nearby beach by boat, with an excavator aiding in moving it, Mystic Aquarium said in a statement provided by Meagan Seacor, vice president of external relations.

A team of 20 will perform a necropsy to help determine the cause of death. Then the remains will be taken to a predetermined location for burial.

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