Stranded whale dies in Clearwater after bystanders repeatedly pushed it off beach

Rachel Tucker
·1 min read
2

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Clearwater Marine Aquarium staff sedated a stranded whale on Tuesday after it washed ashore multiple times.

The crew responded to reports of a beached whale at 8:30 p.m.

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A group of 10 bystanders repeatedly pushed the 6-foot-long juvenile female back into the water to no avail. A CMA spokesperson said they dragged the whale by the fluke at the end of its tail, causing it a lot of pain.

The whale ended up just north of Frenchy’s in Clearwater. The CMA crew determined that because the whale was young, efforts to rehabilitate it would likely be unsuccessful.

The animal was loaded onto a stretcher and given sedatives. It eventually died.

Researchers are performing a necropsy to determine the exact species of the whale. They believe it may be a melon-headed whale or a pygmy killer whale.

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