TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Local Vets Euthanize Stranded Whale

ADVERTISEMENT

TBO.com

Published: January 1, 2008

Veterinarians today euthanized the 25-foot sperm whale stuck in shallow water near the mouth of Tampa Bay.

"The whale passed away a little after 10 this morning," said Laura Engleby, marine biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service. "It was euthanized in order to prevent prolonged suffering."

The body of the juvenile whale, estimated to weigh nearly 17 tons, was being towed to Fort DeSoto Beach for a necropsy. After tissue samples are taken, the carcass will be buried on a remote beach, Engleby said.

The whale was spotted Sunday off St. Pete Beach, and was monitored by veterinarians and scientists from NOAA, Mote Marine Lab and the University of Florida. It had no obvious injuries, but its condition was obviously deteriorating.

While sperm whale sightings so close to the coast of Florida are rare, they're not unheard of. A sperm whale beached itself last summer in the Keys. It died.

Share this:

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT