A 25,000-pound fin whale has been euthanised after becoming stranded in a tidal pond, officials have said.
The animal was seen in distress in Potter Pond in South Kingston, Rhode Island, on Thursday and was reported to the Mystic Aquarium's rescue hotline in the morning. The Aquarium said staff and veterinarians found the whale in an "emaciated" and "compromised" state.
The aquarium said experts determined the animal "did not seem to have any apparent or obvious wounds or signs of the immediate cause of stranding", so after consulting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, they decided to wait until high tide to see if the whale would have enough water to swim out of the pond. However, the group decided to euthanise the 42-foot cetacean due to its poor condition and low likelihood of survival.
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The cetacean was in a 'compromised' state, officials said (WPRI 12)The group said in a statement, shared with The Boston Globe: "Unfortunately, the whale did not refloat. 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."
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Officials said the fin whale was euthanised at around 9.20pm on Thursday night. The procedure was carried out in front of aquarium staff and representatives from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
The whale was euthanised as it didn't refloat at high tide (WPRI 12)Sarah Callan, an animal rescue program manager at the aquarium, said a necropsy was carried out on the whale on Friday to determine why it was stranded. The process included removing what's known as a "banana peel" from the whale's skin - and examinations are now ongoing.
Hours after the deceased whale was first reported, the remains of another whale washed up on a beach in the same town. However, since the cetacean was already found in a decomposed state, no necropsy will be conducted.
The fin whale is the second-largest whale species on earth, second only to the blue whale, and is found throughout the world's oceans. They are typically found in deep, offshore waters of all major oceans, mainly in temperate to polar latitudes, explains NOAA Fisheries.
Most migrate from the Arctic and Antarctic feeding areas in the summer to tropical breeding and calving areas in the winter. Fin whales travel in the open seas, away from the coast, so they are difficult to track.
The main threats to these whales include vessel strikes, becoming entangled in fishing gear as well as ocean noise. Climate change also puts these animals at risk due to changes in ocean conditions, prey distribution, changing water temperature and currents as well as diminished reproduction.
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