Right Whale Stranded Off Crystal Coast Dies

A right whale that was stranded on a sandbar just south of the Cape Lookout National Seashore has been euthanized, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokeswoman Kim Amendola.

NOAA biologist Barb Zoodsma told Nine On Your Side via phone from Florida Thursday morning that the male whale was likely about two years old. Zoodsma roughly estimated it was between 30 and 40 feet in length.

The whale was in very poor health before veterinarians and biologists euthanized it Thursday.

Zoodsma said it’s unclear how the whale wound up on the shoal—and says it is extremely rare for an adult whale to be stranded alive in a situation like this.

North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores education curator Windy Arey Kent agrees.

“Unless there’s something that is wrong with the animal, it’s likely to avoid the hazard of being beached—unless currents or sand shoals or things have changed since the last time they were in the area where they could find themselves in trouble,“ she said.

The whale had been there for several days, Zoodsma said. Local fishermen were discussing the whale on internet chat rooms as far back as Tuesday.

A Coast Guard helicopter flew a veterinarian from NC State University to the shoal Wednesday. The veterinarian administered a sedative to the whale and Zoodsma said NOAA workers hoped the sedative would be enough to help the whale die painlessly. Veterinarians administered another round of sedatives on Thursday before the whale died.

Zoodsma says the whale was euthanized because it was in too poor health to be rehabilitated.

Researchers are having a hard time reaching the whale due to the weather, tide changes and its challenging location, Zoodsma said, and removing the carcass will be challenging.

It is not uncommon for a right whale to be passing through this area at this time of year, she said.

Amendola says researchers have collected tissue samples and other data and will try to determine exactly what caused the whale to become stranded.

Right whales are endangered, and NOAA estimates there may only be about 300 right whales left.