A
pair of dwarf sperm whales stranded themselves at Cape San Blas on Saturday,
and unfortunately had to be euthanized.
The Gulf World Marine Institute Stranding
Team was called to the scene on Saturday morning at around 7:30am.
The Gulf County Fire Department
along with volunteers were first on the scene.
They quickly assisted the
distressed animals out of the rolling surf and onto the beach and waited for the
Stranding Team.
When the team arrived they
identified the animals as a mother calf pair of Dwarf Sperm Whales.
This deep water animal is
commonly found in tropical to temperate oceanic waters from the Gulf of Mexico
to Virginia.
An assessment of the whales found the mother had labored
breathing and had very poor body condition and the calf was not in much better
condition.
After consulting with NOAA
Fisheries, they determined that the animals were not a candidate for rehabilitation
and then humanly euthanized.
The animals were transported to
the National Marine Fisheries Service lab in Panama City for a necropsy to
determine the cause of the stranding.
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