HONOLULU (AP) — A rare deep diving whale rescued from a Maui beach earlier this month has died after spending two weeks at a dolphin and whale hospital on Hawaii's Big Island, federal officials said Monday.
A necropsy showed the male Blainville's beaked whale had moderate pneumonia, a severe gastrointestinal problem, and kidney disease, said David Schofield, a marine mammal response coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Each of these diseases could have killed the animal, Schofield said. It's not clear how the whale contracted the illnesses, though a viral infection is one possibility.
"We're sending tissues out for analysis to learn why it perished so quickly," Schofield told reporters.
The Coast Guard flew the whale to Hilo from Maui so it could be cared for at the Hawaii Cetacean Rehabilitation Facility. The 11 1/2-foot-long, 1,800-pound animal was found stranded at a Kihei beach on Aug. 16.
Scientists haven't had a chance to study beaked whales very much because they're frequently diving in deep waters hunting for squid. Schofield says the whales spend only about 3 percent of their time at the surface.
Few beaked whales have survived more than a few days after being rescued from a stranding. The longest a beaked whale one has lived after being rescued is four weeks, Schofield said.
"If you have a deep diving animal that's coming in from far off shore, it's spending a lot of time deteriorating. By the time we get it, it's in really bad shape," Schofield said.
Beaked whales have been known to be more vulnerable to the harmful effects of Navy active sonar than other whales. Scientists aren't sure why, but one theory is that sonar may startle the deep diving whales, causing them to surface too rapidly and suffer ear damage.
But Schofield says there's no sign this animal was affected by sonar.
A hearing test conducted in Hilo showed the whale was hearing normally. Officials also plan to conduct a CT scan on the whale's head to learn more.
The whale was the second animal taken to the marine mammal hospital at the University of Hawaii at Hilo since it opened in February.
Earlier this year, a striped dolphin died after just 18 hours at the facility. Veterinarians believe it suffered from an acute viral infection.
The facility takes care of sick or injured whales and dolphins that might otherwise have to be destroyed.
According to NOAA, there are an estimated 1,200 to 2,200 Blainville's beaked whales in Hawaiian waters. The Northern Gulf of Mexico stock is about 100 animals. There is no current estimate for the Western North Atlantic Stock. The species is protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
