Sperm whale dies after getting stranded on Florida beach, NOAA says
FOX 13 in Tampa reported the 50- to 70-foot sperm whale had beached itself on a sandbar about 50 yards from Service Club Park early Sunday morning.
Whale dies after getting stranded on Florida beach
A sperm whale that became stranded on a beach in Florida has died. FOX 13 Tampa Reporter Kellie Cowan has the latest from Venice, Florida.
VENICE, Fla. – Marine wildlife officials say the sperm whale that beached itself off the coast of Venice in Florida over the weekend has died.
FOX 13 in Tampa reported the 50- to 70-foot sperm whale had beached itself on a sandbar about 50 yards from Service Club Park early Sunday morning.
FIRST CALF OF NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE SEASON FOUND DEAD ALONG GEORGIA COAST
This image shows a sperm whale that became beached off the coast of Venice, Florida, on Sunday, March 10, 2024.
(CityofVeniceFlorida/Facebook)
Beach access was then restricted as a multi-agency team descended upon the area to try and come up with a plan on how to help the struggling animal.
Videos from the scene showed the whale desperately thrashing around to try and free itself from the shallow water and sand while spectators watched from shore and boats from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office floated in the Gulf of Mexico.
Officials said Sunday evening that the operation would likely become "a recovery effort" as conditions were too dangerous to approach the whale. FOX 13 reported that officials had planned to euthanize the whale if it had survived the night.
SPECTATORS GATHER AS KILLER WHALE WASHES ASHORE FLORIDA COAST
Watch: 70-foot sperm whale becomes beached in Florida
A massive, 70-foot sperm whale became beached off the coast of Venice in Florida on Sunday morning, and video from the scene shows the animal struggling to break free from the shallow water and sand.
However, waves and the tide had pushed the sperm whale farther onshore, and it was reported dead on Monday morning.
The whale, which was estimated to weigh between 50,000 and 70,000 pounds, was severely underweight, according to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission (FWC).
ROPE TIED AROUND DEAD RIGHT WHALE'S TAIL WAS FROM MAINE, NOAA SAYS
Laura Engleby, the branch chief of the NOAA Marine Mammal Division, told FOX 13 that marine officials would pull the whale up onto the beach as far as possible to take photos and measurements of the whale to try and determine what led to its death before a necropsy is performed.
After a necropsy is performed, FOX 13 reported that the whale will either be towed out to sea, brought to a nearby landfill or buried.