Necropsy Underway After Beached Whale Dies In Ocean City, Maryland
OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJZ) -- A necropsy, or animal autopsy, is underway Monday after a whale washed ashore in Ocean City near 114th Street over the weekend.
The 15-foot juvenile sperm whale was found along the north side of Ocean City, near the High Point North around 114th Street around 6:45 a.m. Sunday, officials said.
Beached Sperm Whale Found In Ocean City, Maryland, Dies
Veterinarians from the National Aquarium's Marine Animal Rescue arrived around 11 a.m. to attempt a rescue, however by 1:30 p.m. the whale died.
"We had our first responders on scene assessing the situation and they could see the animal was deteriorating," said Lori Westmoreland, the director of animal health and welfare at the National Aquarium. "We sent (a) response and they were reporting back to us that this animal was about to die."
People tried to rescue the whale themselves, but experts at the National Aquarium say if you see an animal in distress the best thing you can do is give it space and immediately contact a trained wildlife first responder.
"Not only can they inadvertently position the animal in a position that can cause it more stress and suffering, they can get hit by the animal or contract a disease by the animal," said Kate Shaffer, the aquarium's rehabilitation manager.
Jeff Seidenspinner with The Drone OC captured the attempted rescue via his drone.