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Unexpected Discovery: Whale Found Washed Ashore in South Jersey
According to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, a whale was discovered by onlookers Tuesday afternoon after washing up on a well-known Jersey Shore beach.
The whale washed ashore at
Sunset Beach in Cape May County, which is well-known for its panoramas of the Delaware Bay and the SS Atlantus, a World War I concrete ship that ran aground there.
Around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sheila Dean, director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, which has its headquarters in Brigantine, Atlantic County, reported that her crew was on the beach.
The animal was identified as a Minke whale measuring approximately 18 feet in length.
Upon examination by our veterinarian, the whale was lethargic, in thin body condition, and congestion was heard in the lungs. After the medical assessment it was determined that the whale’s prognosis was extremely poor, and was unlikely to survive.
The impact of stranding on cetaceans (dolphins and whales) is traumatic as their body weight and organs are normally supported by the water around them. When a cetacean is stranded for any length of time, their own body weight causes crushing damage to their internal organs, which lessens their chances of survival. The decision was made to humanely euthanize the whale to prevent further suffering.
