A 20-ton juvenile sperm whale that became stranded on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, was euthanized Sunday night after veterinarians determined it was too sick to save. The whale, measuring about 31 feet in length, beached itself near the Marriott Grand Ocean Resort on Saturday afternoon, drawing attention from both island officials and the public, the AP reports. According to a statement from Hilton Head Island officials, experts assessed the whale and found it too emaciated to survive, leading them to bring in a University of Florida veterinarian and specialized equipment. The animal was then sedated and euthanized humanely on the beach.
As part of the response, members of the local sea turtle patrol and staff from the Georgia Aquarium's veterinary program worked to keep the animal wet and as comfortable as possible while waiting for the veterinary team to arrive. After the whale's death, a necropsy was conducted on-site to help determine the cause of its illness and stranding. The whale is set to be buried on the beach. According to the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, whales that are sick or injured will sometimes strand themselves. The organization estimates that approximately 2,000 whales beach annually, with most cases ending in death. Officials have yet to release results from the necropsy.
Marine mammal biologist Clay George with the National Marine Fisheries Service tells the Island Packet that euthanization was the only realistic option. "There's not rehab facilities that can take an animal as big as a sperm whale," George says. "This is a 31 feet long animal, so moving it safely and putting it in a tank is just not an option." He says that if that whale had been pushed back in the water, it "almost certainly" would have ended up beached again somewhere else. "The reason it ended up here is because it wasn't able to maintain itself in the water and swim properly," he says.
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