The Marine Animal Response Society has confirmed that two out of the three large sperm whales stranded off the North Shore of Prince Edward Island have died.
The remaining whale is alive but is in a precarious situation and is not in good health.
These whales were initially seen on Saturday night near Hardys Channel, close to East Bideford in western Prince Edward Island.
Tonya Wimmer, the executive director of MARS, mentioned that the surviving whale is not in an ideal location. Due to their size, attempting a rescue could cause more harm to the whale.
Wimmer stated, “In the case of these animals, they were all fairly big. They’re anywhere from 33 to about 38 feet long, which puts them anywhere between 15 to almost 20 tonnes.”
She added that a necropsy might be conducted on the whales to determine the cause of death.
Despite concerns from locals, Wimmer explained that there are limitations in dealing with whales of this size and weight. (Marine Animal Response Society)
“Sometimes we can determine the cause of death and if there were any factors besides just being stranded accidentally,” she said.
She emphasized the importance of post-mortem investigations to uncover underlying causes.
‘Let nature take its course’
Wimmer acknowledged that there is limited intervention possible with such large animals.
She expressed, “We have to allow nature to run its course, which is unfortunate, but a natural occurrence that we take seriously.”
Wimmer mentioned the community’s sadness over the situation and shared that local monitoring of the whale will continue in hopes of a peaceful passing.
She reminded the public to maintain a distance of at least 200 meters from the whales and to respect their space.
