A pair of melon headed whales are now under critical condition on a Waveland beach. (Photo : Wikipedia)
Marine scientists are now investigating a strange event as a mysterious pair of whales are now fighting for survival as they got stranded in Mississippi, where their species has not been seen in the region for 40 years.
According to Moby Solangi who is the director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, a fisherman reported last Tuesday that there were two dead dolphins that washed ashore on a beach in Waveland.
Solangi says that the rescue team was quite surprised when they arrived at the beach since not only that the mammals were still alive but they also were not dolphins but whales.
The two stranded mammals are melon-headed whales which is a species that is usually found dwelling in deep tropical and subtropical waters in different regions of the world. Solangi also says that the whales are currently in critical condition as they are severely dehydrated and disoriented and now unable to swim back on their own.
The cause of the whales' condition is still unknown, not until blood tests are finally carried out and completed. Solangi also adds that he has never seen anything like this in the past 40 years and admits that they are pretty much working with the unknown here.
Local veterinarian Tim Hoffland believes that the two juvenile whales were probably chasing some fish where they got lost, veering away 200 miles off course. He also adds that this is also the first time that anyone in Gulfport has seen one.
Hoffland also says that these whales are youngsters where they still have three more years to grow to become fully adult whales. He adds that they can grow to nine feet and weigh about 600 pounds also noting that, the team just have to get them through this situation.
The team now does shifts that are rotating every four hours in order to cradle the whales into their pool and feed them fish. Solangi notes that if someone is not guiding them, they will drown. The other one is also suffering from a shark bite, struggling to live.
The director believes that the whales could have died on the beach if the IMMS did not possess the capability to care for and guide them. The whales are also fortunate enough to get stranded near the facility, and without the veterinarians, employees and technology, the creatures would have already died.
