Despite rescue efforts, beached whale dies
Whale washes ashore near Montauk
A whale struggles in the surf after washing up on shore in front of the Ditch Plains trailer park in Montauk. (July 23, 2011))
Credit: Gordon M. Grant
An emaciated young sperm whale marooned in a rocky beach area near Montauk died Saturday afternoon before rescuers could wade out to help.
Authorities blamed rough tides and submerged rocks for preventing rescuers from going out 20 feet to deliver a sedative or even euthanize the whale, said Kim Durham of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, which helps seals, sea turtles, whales, dolphins and porpoises in these types of situations.
"It's been kind of frustrating and heart-wrenching at the same time," Durham said shortly before the whale, an endangered species, died at 2 p.m.
Rescuers were alerted in the morning about a 20-foot-long whale stranded at Ditch Plains. Blood was pooling around the animal.
East Hampton Town Supervisor William Wilkinson said the whale was to be removed by crane and taken to the foundation late Saturday for a necropsy to determine the cause of death.
Matthew Chayes with Ali Eaves
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