Tragedy! Another Whale Dies On A New Jersey Beach This Time LBI
Another tragic ending for a whale on a New Jersey beach and this time it happened in Ocean County. Numerous whale and dolphin beachings have occurred all year and this has led to many questions and residents are demanding answers as to why these marine mammal deaths are occurring. According to Forbes, earlier this month a whale washed ashore in Monmouth County, "whale that washed ashore in Long Branch—about 30 miles south of Manhattan—was at least the ninth humpback to wash up in New Jersey this year, the most in a single year dating back to 2002, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center".
(Above a baby pygmy sperm whale goes through rehabilitation, rehabilitated by volunteers and members of the Wild Life Rescue of Florida Keys and the Marine Animal Rescue society of Key West)
According to Patch, the live pygmy sperm whale was found in Ocean County on Tuesday, August 29th on the beach in Loveladies Long Beach Island. According to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, it was on a beach located on Seaview Drive in Loveladies. "The whale, a 10-foot 9-inch long adult female weighing more than 800 pounds, was rescued by the MMSC with help from members of the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol. The whale was rushed to the MMSC Center veterinarian."
Unfortunately, authorities were not able to save this whale. According to the MMSC, "After the medical assessment it was determined that her prognosis was extremely poor, and she was unlikely to survive." Authorities made the decision to "humanely euthanize the whale to prevent further suffering." Further testing will be done on the whale.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said, "Seeing the Community of Loveladies come together on the beach to support our team and do whatever they could to help this beautiful whale in her final moments was inspiring."
I love whales and have gone on several expeditions to see these gentle giants, but to this day I have not captured a "photo" of a whale, but I will keep looking.
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