25,000 pound whale euthanized after getting stuck in Rhode Island pond
A 25,000-pound fin whale was euthanized after it became stranded in a tidal pond in Rhode Island, officials said.
The 42-foot cetacean was first reported to the Mystic Aquarium’s rescue hot line around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday after it was spotted in distress in Potter Pond in South Kingston.
Aquarium staffers and veterinarians found in an “emaciated” and “compromised state,” the Aquarium told The Boston Globe in a statement.
After an evaluation, experts determined the whale “did not seem to have any apparent or obvious wounds or signs of the immediate cause of stranding,” the group said.
Officials consulted with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and decided to wait for high tide with the hope the whale would have enough water to swim out of the pond.
“Unfortunately, the whale did not refloat,” the group said. “With animal welfare as Mystic Aquarium’s top priority and considering the poor condition and low likelihood of survival for the compromised animal, the decision was made to use medical intervention to alleviate the whale’s suffering.”
The whale was euthanized around 9:20 p.m. on Thursday night, surrounded by aquarium staff and representatives from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, officials said.
Researchers conducted a necropsy on the whale Friday to determine what caused it to be stranded. The process includes removing what’s known as a “banana peel” of the whale’s skin for examination, according to The Globe.
“As sad as the outcome is here, I feel some relief that this animal is now at peace,” Sarah Callan, an animal rescue program manager at the aquarium said. “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.”
The sad story of the whale also helped bring a community concerned about its marine life together.
“The nearby homeowners were bringing us coffee yesterday and we were getting emails with prayers for the whale,” animal rescue technician Francesca Battaglia told WPRI. “The community rallied to keep our spirits up, and we’re just really grateful.”
Just hours after the deceased whale was first reported, the remains of a second whale washed up on a beach in the same town.
The whale was found in an already decomposed state so no necropsy will be conducted.
