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A baby humpback whale stranded off Long Beach Island, New Jersey, has died on a sandbar with suspected propeller injuries, according to a release by the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.
The whale reportedly struggled through at least two nights trapped before passing.
The 29-foot humpback was first spotted off the coast of Holgate around 3 p.m. local time Friday.
Marine research group Gotham Whale had also reported seeing the whale struggling to hunt in waters near Rockaway.
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The marine center confirmed that a team had spotted the whale in shallow water off the west side of Holgate. (Google Maps)
In the press release posted online, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center explained how they were working to tow the young whale Tuesday after it had sadly died.
The center also detailed how on Friday a team had spotted the whale in shallow water off the west side of Holgate, where the whale then appeared to be beached on a sandbar.
The whale was identified as a young humpback when they eventually reached it.
Sadly, the team had described how the whale was lethargic and in very thin body condition, with “wounds consistent with a previous propeller strike” present across both the left and right dorsal sides of the whale.
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The marine center said the whale was lethargic and in very thin body condition when they examined it. (Marine Mammal Stranding Center)
The whale’s prognosis by medical examiners was also extremely poor, and it was unlikely to survive, the release said.
“Sedatives were administered to keep the animal comfortable until operations could resume safely the following daytime low tide,” it said.
The center confirmed online that the whale “was monitored until well after dark on Saturday 10/18 by the MMSC Stranding Team, our network partners Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, and NJ Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officers.”
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The 29-foot humpback was first spotted off the coast of Holgate. (Google Maps)
The monitoring was said to have continued into the night and before the team discovered that the animal had sadly passed away.
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“Our entire team is deeply saddened by every deceased animal that we investigate, but the ones that hit the hardest are animals like this young whale who never got the chance to contribute to their species,” the press release concluded.
Digital has reached out to MMSC and Gotham Whale for further comment.
