Heartbreaking End for Young Humpback Whale on Oregon Shore
A young humpback whale stranded off the coast of Oregon faced a tragic end on Monday, being euthanised after a major rescue operation by several organisations failed to save it.
A Desperate Rescue Attempt
The ordeal began on Saturday when the juvenile whale was discovered washed ashore near Sunset Bay State Park. Over the weekend, concerned members of the public rallied, attempting to assist the mammal which appeared to be entangled in fishing gear. Their efforts, however, proved unsuccessful.
By 10am on Sunday, Oregon State Police arrived to secure the area, paving the way for a formal rescue mission launched on Monday morning.
The Challenges of a Complex Operation
According to Lisa Ballance from the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University, rescuers attempted a delicate procedure. They tried to wrap a bridle around the whale and attach it to a boat stationed out at sea, hoping to reorient the massive creature towards the open ocean.
This plan was thwarted as the high tide approached. The rope separated and the bridle slipped off the whale. Ballance described the situation as "rapidly" changing, highlighting the immense difficulty of moving such a large animal and the significant risk of causing further injury. She added that a full-scale rescue was not feasible due to limited available resources.
The Difficult Decision
With the attempt to tow the whale back to sea having failed, a veterinarian made the sombre recommendation that the humpback should be euthanised.
"It’s a very sad, tragic situation," Ballance stated. "There’s no way to spin this positively. I know the general public is heartbroken … It’s hard to watch, hard to experience."
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US federal agency responsible for the nation's ocean resources, is expected to release an official statement on the incident.
