Jun 23, 2008 10:59 pm US/Eastern
Stranded Keys Whale Is Euthanized
10 People Were Working Round The Clock To Keep The Rare Beaked Whale Alive
Tests Reveal Kidney, Liver Problems
Experts Said Chances Were Slim For The Whale To Survive
KEY LARGO (CBS4) ―
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Workers tended to the whale stranded in the Florida Keys, providing round-the-clock care even as they try to determine why the whale is ill. Rescuers issued a call for volunteers to assist in their efforts.
Bob Care/Florida Keys News Bureau/CBS
An official with the marine mammal rehabilitation center that was trying to nurse a beaked whale back to health said they euthanized the animal at 6:13p.m. on Monday.
Volunteers continued a round-the-clock effort to help the seriously ill beaked whale through Sunday, a day after the team of U.S. Navy audiologists conducted a hearing test it at a marine mammal rehabilitation center in the Florida Keys. However, other tests revealed it suffered from a non-functioning liver and failed kidneys, according to Robert Lingenfelser, President of the Marine Mammal Conservancy in Key Largo.
"Our veterinarians and National Marine Fisheries officials completely agreed there was no hope for the whale," Lingenfelser said. "Her digestive system had completely shut down even before she arrived at MMC."
Sunday, MMC staff conducted an ultrasound of the mature female whale that was tentatively identified as a Gervais' beaked whale or a Sowerby's beaked whale. The ultrasound was done to examine the whale's digestive and cardio system for parasites and diseases.
Staff scientist James Finneran and consulting biologist Dorian Houser of the Navy Marine Mammal Program quickly traveled to Key Largo Saturday from their offices in San Diego.
Their mission: To establish a hearing baseline measure for the whale-- something that has only been done once for a Gervais' and never for a Sowerby's. That gives them data they can use for comparison purposes in the future.
Beaked whales that survive a stranding are very rare, said Lingenfelser. It was the reason, he said, that the Navy was so interested in testing the mammal.
"We know so little about beaked whales and it's important to establish baselines on what their hearing ranges are and their susceptibility to ocean noise," he said. "So that data can be incorporated into proper management of all kind of things and including, in my opinion, probably military exercises."
The 14-foot-long, 1,595-pound female was discovered Friday in shallow waters behind a home in Islamorada. It was transported to the Conservancy in Key Largo, about 60 miles south of Miami.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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