Thread: Beached Whale

Wow! Just saw the report on the news! A beached whale in GS?!? Thought the tiger sharks at the pier were amazing but this is crazy. Amazing effort from passers-by to help but tragically to no avail. The support to help him was very impressive nonetheless.

The report I read IDed it as a melon-headed whale.
Looks like an over grown porpoise kindof.

Originally Posted by Pier#r

melon-headed whale

Thanks! Now I've got a new insult to use on other drivers when my daughter is in the car with me.

My understanding is that these are pelagic deepwater species, if one strands, its already seriously ill a/o injured. Marine Mammal Stranding Network staff took a look at it and it was already on the way out. So they euthanized it, will do a necropsy to determine what happened if they can.

The results of the necropsy have been published...
Melon-headed whale helped by Gulf Shores beachgoers suffered sev - FOX10 News | WALA

Melon-headed whale helped by Gulf Shores beachgoers suffered severe infection

Posted: Oct 12, 2015 9:21 AM CDTUpdated: Oct 12, 2015 9:30 AM CDTBy Mike Brantley, Digital Content ProducerCONNECT

Scientists from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, a veterinary team from the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge and bystanders try to save a beached melon headed whale in Gulf Shores on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015. The animal ultimately had to be euthanized.

GULF SHORES, AL (WALA) -The melon-headed whale that beachgoers fought desperately to save but was euthanized after it was found beached in Gulf Shores last week suffered a severe respiratory infection, according to researchers with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
Concerned bystanders and the Sea Lab's Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network team had worked desperately and tirelessly to stabilize the dolphin until a veterinary team from the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge arrived to assess its health after the animal was seen near the beach on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
The research team performed a necropsy to help determine what caused the animal to strand. While final results are still pending, researchers found the small whale had a severe respiratory infection that likely affected the animal’s ability to breathe.
The melon headed whale, a type of dolphin that is normally found in deeper waters, stranded near the Surfside Shores condos in Gulf Shores. The dolphin was struggling to breathe and stay upright in the surf.
Because of the animal's poor condition, the decision was made in conjunction with NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service to euthanize the dolphin on the scene.
“In cases like this one, when animals are very sick, often the best course of action is to keep the animal as comfortable as possible and provide a humane death through sedation and euthanasia,” said ALMMSN Stranding Coordinator Noel Wingers.
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