People from Hualpén in Chile tried to help a stranded and badly injured sei whale back into the sea on Friday. But aerial images on Saturday showed the animal wasn’t moving in the water.
Officials are now getting the sei whale to a safe area to do an autopsy to determine what the cause of death was, Servicio Nacional de Pesca y Acuiculture (National Fishing Service) said on Twitter.
The whale was covered in blood when a resident first spotted him on Caleta Lenga beach in the Bio Bio Region. Residents said they notified authorities, but they tried to help the animal themselves since officials did not arrive immediately.
“He is alive, he is injured, he needs us to push him deeper [into the sea]. They [officials] don’t want to do anything. They are waiting for the protocols,” an unidentified resident from Caleta Lenga beach said on Friday.
“This animal had been stranded since six in the morning, and the authorities were notified, the maritime authority in this case, and they did not believe it,” another resident said.
Eventually, residents, fishermen and officials were able to float the animal back into the water. But a day later, the juvenile sei whale of around six meters was seen in the water without moving.
Ballena Sei juvenil que ayer varó en caleta Lenga, Hualpén no registra actividad. Tras ser reflotada no se volvió a mover ni tampoco se avistó, por lo que se declara muerta. (🎥 Andrés Lagos Meza) @Cooperativa pic.twitter.com/PRvFNsXypE
— Cristofer Espinoza (@CEspinozaQ) November 27, 2021
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