A young humpback whale, found stranded near Long Beach Island, New Jersey, has sadly died after being stuck on a sandbar, with injuries likely caused by a boat propeller, according to information from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.
The whale endured at least two nights of struggle before finally succumbing to its condition.
The 29-foot marine mammal was initially spotted off Holgate’s coast at around 3 p.m. local time on Friday.
Gotham Whale, a marine research organization, had earlier observed the whale having difficulty feeding in the waters near Rockaway.
According to the marine center, a team had located the whale in shallow waters on the west side of Holgate.
In a statement shared online, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center detailed their efforts to tow the deceased whale on Tuesday, after its unfortunate demise.
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.
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.”
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.
“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.
Fox News Digital has reached out to MMSC and Gotham Whale for further comment.
