Pygmy Sperm Whale Dies in Brooklyn
It’s not every day that a Pygmy sperm whale beaches on a Brooklyn beach, but this weekend it did just that. The New York Marine Rescue Group was called on Sunday to help a stranded pygmy sperm whale. Before the team got there, beachgoers tried to push the whale into the water repeatedly. Every time the animals would come back to shore.
Once the rescue team arrived, they assessed the animal. They tried to push it back into the water, but it re-beached three times. After the third time, the team did a full assessment on the whale. It was determined that the whale was too sick and weak and needed to be euthanized.
The rescue team did not want to euthanize the whale immediately and waited overnight. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officers, Gateway National Recreation Area, and NYMRC’s team were all involved in monitoring the whale. This Monday morning, the Pygmy sperm whale died on its own. The whale was a young male measuring nine feet long. This is the 18th Pygmy whale stranded on New York shores in the last 40 years.
If you see a stranded turtle, whale or other marine animal in New York, please call the NYS 24-Stranding Hotline at 631-369-9829.
