VIDEO REPORT: Rare “beaked” whale rescued in Hawaii
August 18, 2010 – Hilo, Hawaii
Video by David Corrigan | Voice of Tim Bryan
There is another marine mammal recuperating at the University of Hawaii-Hilo’s Hawaii Cetacean Rehabilitation Facility.
This “beaked whale” was transported to the Big Island from Maui by the U.S. Cast Guard, after it was found stranded in Kihei.
The rare creature has never been seen alive by rehab center staff and volunteers, and it is likely to be the largest marine mammal ever to be rehabilitated in Hawaii. The beaked whales are a type of toothed whale, and are considered to be the most extreme divers in the world. This makes them hard to observe in the wild.
Although the odds are against its survival, the whale appears to be in stable condition, and is able to swim around the pool on its own.
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facebook comments:
Great coverage of the rescue and the work of NOAA and others!
I have a few questions in regard to how this case was handled, however, the rehab center consistently ignores and even blocks my requests for the information. It makes me wonder if you hide nothing why would you NOT want to share the information with the public? Here are my questions and I do not understand why they refuse to release the necropsy results to the public??
1. Did you look specifically for internal bleeding?
2. How do you know if your actions were not the ultimate reason for the whale’s demise?
3. Why did he strand?
4. Were there Rimpac exercises involving active sonar 200 miles away and 5 days prior to the stranding?
5. When was the last time the beaked whale stranded in Hawaii?
6. Is it possible that the laceration was caused by tube feeding?
7. Is it possible that the whale got water in his lungs while rolling in surf?
8. What would you do differently if another whale strands tomorrow?
9. Was the ultrasound really necessary?
10. Who performed the hearing test? Was the Navy involved in some way?
11. During the necropsy did you look for emboli in fats? (in addition to tissue and organs)
12. How can you sleep at night?
13. Did you examine the ears, in particular the middle ear?
14. Did you examine the air sacs?