Stranded Whale Dies at Mammal Center
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A stranded male pilot whale died yesterday at a Florida Keys-based marine mammal rehabilitation center.
The whale, about 12 1/2 feet in length and weighing approximately 1,000 pounds, was transported by truck to the Marine Mammal Conservancy after it was stranded Monday in Everglades National Park, near Chokoloskee.
After arrival, the whale was transferred into the facility’s bayside rehabilitation enclosure and was continuously monitored by conservancy volunteers. “On the outside, he was looking pretty well,” a stranding coordinator, Kate Banick, said. “There were no signs of dehydration or starvation.” Just before 8 a.m. yesterday, Ms. Banick said, the whale became very active. “Then he stopped breathing, and we lost the heart rate,” Ms. Banick said. “We administered drugs, but we weren’t able to restart the heart.” Marine mammal experts have begun a necropsy on the whale.
