DENNIS – A 19-foot male minke whale stranded in the marsh behind Chapin Beach in Dennis and was discovered by passers-by around 5 p.m. on Saturday. The whale carcass was removed from the marsh and transported to a remote section of the Dennis landfall where a team of researchers performed a necropsy on Sunday afternoon before the remains were buried.
Kristin Patchett, the stranding coordinator for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), reported that when IFAW personnel arrived on scene the whale was still alive. She says it was suffering from a large wound near its tale and was in generally poor health. IFAW personnel were preparing to euthanize the animal when it died on its own.
The source of the wound is not known at this time but the IFAW team will share photos of the wound with other experts in an attempt to determine the cause. Given the poor health of the whale, Patchett says the wound “might not be part of the puzzle for this stranding.”
Minke whales can grow to 20 or 30 feet. Researchers say this one was on the younger side. In addition to the IFAW staffers and volunteers, the team of workers performing the necropsy included personnel from New England Wildlife Center and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
Story and photo by Kevin Morley/CWN
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