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Necropsy expected to reveal cause of orca death
Story by Sharon Kivisto
Photos by Kelley Balcomb-Bartok ©
The dead female was found on a remote island just east of Dungeness Spit Wednesday afternoon (Jan. 2, 2002), and photographs were taken early Thursday morning to attempt to identify her.
posted 01/06/02
Whale researchers conducted a necropsy Jan. 3, 2002 of a female orca found on a beach near Sequim. The killer whale was not a member of the three resident pods which are frequently seen around the San Juan Islands. Kelley Balcomb-Bartok, a Friday Harbor whale expert, said the results should "illuminate a lot of what's going on with the transient whales." High levels of toxins have been found in the transient population.
The whale did not match any of photos of transient whales in the scientists catalogs of the transient pods. Whales can be identified by their saddle patches (the white markings). Photos of the whale will be sent to Canadian researchers to see if they know what pod she belonged to.
After researchers arrived on the scene Jan. 2, 2002, the female was secured on the beach overnight. On Thursday John Calambokidis of the Cascadia Research Project and Brad Hansen of the National Marine Mammals Lab performed a necropsy on the female. She had an inflamed uterus and may have died of an infection according to Balcomb-Bartok. The head was saved intact. A complete workup will be done in a marine mammals lab.
Sonar is not suspected to be involved in the stranding, but the ears will be examined for any possible sonar-related damage. Last month the Navy released a report about the possibility of sonar causing the deaths of whales in the Bahamas two years ago.
While the necropsy was being performed, other researchers and volunteers were rescuing a male orca which had beached itself in the same area. STORY ABOUT STRANDED MALE ORCA...
State Fisheries biologists prepare to remove the whale from the shallow beach early Thursday morning and transport it for a thorough necropsy later in the day.
The dead female being towed by an Olympic Coast Marine Sanctuary vessel, taking the dead whale to a nearby beach for a full necropsy to attempt to determine cause of death.
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