Official: Whale not dead; reports wrong

Despite reports the humpback whale calf stranded on an East Hampton beach since Tuesday had been successfully euthanized overnight, an official said Friday morning the whale is still alive - and top veterinary specialists are trying to determine why.

"The animal is still alive," said Kim Durham, the rescue program coordinator for the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.

"We're all working at this," she said. "Certainly, this has been extremely challenging and frustrating."

The whale, estimated to be about a year old, has been stranded on Main Beach just east of a jetty since early Tuesday. Specialists attempted to euthanize the whale early Thursday, then again Thursday night - but so far, the attempts have failed.

The Associated Press reported Friday that Riverhead Foundation president Chuck Bowman had said several darts were shot into the whale Thursday evening to administer drugs - and the whale calf died sometime in the middle of the night.

But Durham told Newsday: "Those reports are not true."

The 20- to 25-foot was already weakened when it beached itself Tuesday, officials said. Scientists said that if freed, it would be unable to survive on its own.

Scientists said they believe the whale was likely headed from breeding grounds in the Caribbean to feeding grounds off the coast of New England.

Durham said it was unclear when the next attempt to euthanize the whale would take place, but stressed scientists are attempting to find the safest, most humane way to do so. She called it a work in progress.

"Our biggest nemesis has been human safety," she said. "People ask, 'Why is this so difficult?' My response is, 'Have you not seen the fish?' "

Officials said they will perform a necropsy on the young whale.