BERKELEY – The Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) has published the results of the necropsy of the minke whale that stranded itself in the Barnegat Bay.
The MMSC wrote on social media that their team humanely euthanized the whale on the evening of October 5.
Initial findings from the necropsy showed the whale had froth in the lungs and “a heavy parasite load” in the gastrointestinal tract. No signs of trauma were observed, according to the stranding center.
The MMSC said samples were collected and will be sent for histopathologic analysis. Once the results become available, they will be shared on the MMSC website.
The minke whale was first reported stranded in shallow water in Barnegat Bay on October 1. For five days, the MMSC along with other agencies helped free the whale from shallow water multiple times. However, the team noticed that the whale’s condition was declining, stating that the whale became weaker and its skin was sloughing off. The whale had become very lethargic and would no longer open her eyes, MMSC said.
The whale was found stranded again on October 5 about one mile inside the inlet west of Sedge Island, and was non-responsive.
The MMSC’s veterinarian determined that the whale was suffering and could not recover from the multiple stranding events. The MMSC made the decision to humanely euthanize the whale.
A beach burial was prohibited due to the chemicals in the euthanasia posing a risk to the ground water and wildlife. The whale was instead transported to the Monmouth County Reclamation Center for necropsy.
“To say that it has been an extremely busy and taxing week for our team is an understatement, and we thank every single person that assisted us in the field or offered moral support to our team as we navigated this stranding event over the course of six days,” the MMSC said.
