One of the most tragic news in recent times has been the report of a huge whale washed ashore on a beach in Queens, New York. A female humpback whale measuring more than 15 meters was discovered by a local resident walking on the beach. 911 rescue services responded very quickly to the report and arrived at the scene of the tragedy within minutes. Using fire pumps and hoses, firefighters try to sustain the life of the dying animal by pouring cold water over it.
Scientists who arrived at the scene put forward their hypothesis for the female whale's behavior. According to them, the whale could have accidentally collided with a large ship and suffered a very serious injury. Zoologists also suggest that the female may be pregnant.
The whale's chances of survival are very small, says one of the specialists from the International Whaling Commission. According to him, the whale is very emaciated and in critical condition. A representative of the organization (NOAA) in an interview also reported that the humpback whale's chances of survival are zero. In his opinion, the female has no more than a few hours to live.
Specialists hope that the agony of the second largest mammal on earth will not last long and the whale will not survive the night. If the female is still alive in the morning, zoologists are considering the possibility of euthanizing her.
As a CNN correspondent reports, hundreds of residents of Queens have gathered near the dying whale. People raise their hands to the sky, asking God to help the innocent animal.
According to professionals from the International Whaling Commission, it is still difficult to decide how to end the agony of the dying whale. Specialists from the commission report that animals of such large size cannot be shot. Also, expressing their opinion, they lean towards the idea that it would be advisable to blow up the wounded whale with explosives. In US history, the procedure of euthanizing large beached whales has been carried out several times.
For example, in 2010, a sick male humpback whale over eight meters long beached on one of the beaches of Long Island, a suburb of New York. The commission of the Australian Department of Conservation sent its recommendations, which prescribed blowing up the mammal with explosives. Following the recommendations, specialists from the International Whaling Commission fully completed the task assigned to them. The sick whale was blown up with explosives.
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