Stranded minke whale euthanized in Wellfleet

By Beth Treffeisen Posted Oct 6, 2018

WELLFLEET — A minke whale had to be euthanized afterstranding near Great Island in Wellfleet on Saturday morning, according to Brian Sharp, manager of the marine mammal rescue and research team at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

The whale was found alive by people walking out to Great Island and called IFAW at around 11:30 a.m., said Sharp. Rescuers helping a dolphin that was swimming too close to shore in Eastham reached the minke whale within 20 minutes, he said.

The team performed a health assessment and found the whale was not in good condition, said Sharp. In order to stop the suffering, the team determined it was best to euthanize the animal, he said.

“Although this was not the outcome we wanted, at least the animal was not suffering,” said Sharp.

This marks the sixth minke whale to be stranded in Cape Cod waters in 2018, said Sharp.

A minke died on Sept. 29 in Barnstable and four other carcasses washed ashore previously: Feb. 15 in Barnstable Harbor, March 15 in Eastham, June 24 in Wellfleet and Aug. 27 at Sandy Neck Beach in Sandwich, according to National Oceanographic and Atomospheric Administration records.

Since January 2017, minke whales have been under “unusual mortality event” status — known as a UME — due to the elevated number of deaths from Maine through South Carolina, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. The UME status releases more money and resources to study the cause of the deaths.

There also are UMEs in place along the Atlantic Coast for humpbacks, North Atlantic right whales, and gray and harbor seals.

Minke whales, considered small when compared with a humpback or right whale, are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act but are not endangered or threatened.

Sharp encourages people who see a stranded minke whale to call IFAW’s hotline at 508-743-9548.

http://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20181006/stranded-minke-whale-euthanized-in-wellfleet