Unresponsive to Rescue Efforts, Dwarf Sperm Whale Dies Near Flagler Beach Pier (Florida, USA)

The whale was carried out of the water around 11 a.m. Monday. By then, it appeared to have died. Click on the image for larger view. (© Sherry Blevins for FlaglerLive)

March 9^th, 2015. A beached Kogia sima whale, also known as a dwarf sperm whale, died near the Flagler Beach pier Monday morning after it had appeared in likely distress the previous day a few blocks north and had at times been helped away from the beach by swimmers and surfers.

Georgia Aquarium Conservation Field Station staff responded to the scene early Monday, around 6 a.m., after receiving calls about the whale being stranded. Once on site, field station staffers “determined the animal was in poor condition and unfortunately it did not survive,” Jessica Fontana, a spokesperson for the aquarium, said in a written statement.

“Our GACFS team is currently conducting a necropsy that will help determine the cause of death,” Fontana said. “Necropsy results can take weeks to receive. Animals strand themselves for various and sometimes unknown reasons and hopefully the necropsy will provide a little insight as to why this particular animal stranded.”

Sherry Blevins, a Flagler Beach resident who was at the scene when the whale was carried out of the water–and provided the images illustrating this story–said the whale had been looking mostly inert and had been merely circling in the water this morning. Some surfers tried to help, keeping the whale upright until aquarium staff arrived. But it was apparent that the whale was dying.

Field station staff took the whale away to conduct the necropsy at their lab.

Should beach-goers come across a stranded animal, they should call the Florida Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline at 888/404.3922, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation number. In this case, FWC officials said, the incident was handled by the field station since those biologists arrived at the scene early and were able to handle the case.

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