Maryland News Show
September 15, 2019 / 10:59 PM / CBS Baltimore OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJZ) -- A beached whale that was found on the beach in Ocean City, Maryland, Sunday morning has died. The juvenile sperm whale was found along the north side of Ocean City, near the High Point North around 114th Street around 6:45 a.m., officials said. The Marine Animal Rescue team from the National Aquarium in Baltimore was called to help with the whale. The rescuers arrived just before 11 a.m. However, by 1:30 p.m. rescuers determined the whale had died. A spokesperson for the National Aquarium released a statement in regard to the beached whale that died.
The beached whale drew a lot of interest Sunday. Hundreds gathered along the beach to watch and capture the once-in-a-lifetime moment. In a Facebook group dedicated to Ocean City, posters shared photos, videos and concerns about the whale's status. Bill Fuhrer, with local radio station WOCM, live-streamed a rescue attempt.
Jeff Seidenspinner with The Drone OC captured the attempted rescue via his drone. Ultimately the whale died and was removed from the beach:
The National Aquarium said that when you see an animal in distress the best thing you can do is give it space and immediately contact a trained wildlife first responder.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS. Create your free account or log in Please enter email address to continue Please enter valid email address to continue CNN — A young whale stranded early Sunday morning on the shore of Ocean City, Maryland, has died, the state Department of Natural Resources said. The sperm whale was about 15 feet long and had been alive when it came onto the beach Sunday morning, DNR Capt. Melissa Scarborough told CNN. The National Aquarium in Baltimore had sent a team to the area earlier in the day to assess the animal’s condition. The aquarium said in a statement that the juvenile appeared to be “extremely underweight.” Sperm whales spend most of their time in deep waters and have been listed on the Endangered Species Acts since 1970, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Whales become stranded most often when they are ill or injured, NOAA says. In videos, the whale is about half submerged in the water and surrounded by onlookers. Onlookers tried to push the whale away from the beach, the aquarium statement said. “I have been watching since 7 a.m.,” Barb Carr Moran told CNN. “It has been very sad to watch this beautiful creature die in front of us. The feeling of helplessness is overwhelming.” The Ocean City Beach Patrol told CNN that conditions of the beach Sunday morning included 2- to 4-feet waves and nothing out of the ordinary. The remains will be removed Sunday and a necropsy will be performed Monday to determine cause of death, the state said. In Florida in July, crowds of people tried to help rescue crews save five distressed pilot whales in Redington Beach near St. Petersburg. Three of those animals were loaded onto boats and taken out to deeper water. The other two were taken to a local aquarium for further evaluation. Experts from the National Aquarium who rushed to Ocean City early Sunday for reports of a stranded whale on the beach have now said the animal has died. In a statement, a National Aquarium spokesperson said the discovery was made around 6:45 a.m. The aquarium is the state's lead responder for this type of incident and dispatched a small team to the resort town. An update issued around noon showed aquarium experts on scene believed the animal was an extremely underweight juvenile sperm whale, and by 1:30 p.m., a spokesperson for the Baltimore-based non-profit said veterinarians confirmed the animal had died. "As you can imagine, this has been a challenging day for not only Aquarium responders and partners, but all those on the beach throughout the morning. We thank everyone for their support and concern," an aquarium statement said.  The National Aquarium says the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Ocean City Police Department, will now be in charge of safely removing the whale. The Department of Natural Resources will also lead a team in performing a necropsy, or animal autopsy, to learn more about the animal and why it stranded. Sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales and have one of the widest global distributions of any marine mammal species including the New England/Mid-Atlantic area, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries. The agency states that female sperm whales can grow up to 40 feet long and weigh about 15 tons while males can get as large as 52 feet long and 45 tons. More:What is a Sperm whale? More:How you can help stranded whales, dolphins, turtles and seals In general, wildlife officials advise people keep their distance with stranded animals and ask they report incidents instead of taking matter into their own hands. "These wild animals may be sick, injured, disoriented, or starving. They could have been exposed to pollution or a natural toxin, entangled in fishing gear, struck by a vessel, or infected by a disease or parasite," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries website states. "Their reactions may be unpredictable, and it can be dangerous to try to touch or move them. Only trained and authorized responders should assist marine animals in distress." Reporting a sick, injured, entangled or dead animal is the best way to ensure that professional authorized responders and scientists know about the incident and can take appropriate action, according to NOAA Fisheries. This report will be updated. More:Nearly 300-pound turtle rescued on Delaware coast after Hurricane Dorian More:Huge whale spotted in Ocean City waters during White Marlin Open More:Must-see video shows whale surfacing near Ocean City What beach was the whale washed up on?Experts say dead humpback whale spotted on Half Moon Bay beach likely struck by ship. A dead humpback whale washed up at Manhattan Beach in Half Moon Bay on Sunday, which is just south of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. HALF MOON BAY, Calif.
What happens when a whale is washed up on a beach?Cetacean stranding, commonly known as beaching, is a phenomenon in which whales and dolphins strand themselves on land, usually on a beach. Beached whales often die due to dehydration, collapsing under their own weight, or drowning when high tide covers the blowhole.
Are there whales in Ocean City Maryland?The whales' natural feeding grounds are in New England and Canada. According to Shaffer, there has not been a confirmed right whale sighting in Ocean City since 2007, but other whale species can be spotted from Ocean City beaches regularly. Among them are humpback, minke and fin whales.
Are there whales near Maryland?To date, 23 migrating species have been found in Maryland waters, which tend to vary seasonally. In the warmer months, bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles and whales are most common.
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Whale washed up in ocean city
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