All hope appears to be gone for the humpback whale stranded in Northland.
A Department of Conservation (DoC) spokesperson told Newshub the decision had been made to euthanise the whale after consultation with the local iwi Te Rorora and Te Uri o Hau, Project Jonah and other whale stranding experts.
- Two whales stranded on Northland's Ripiro Beach
- Northland beached humpback whale calf dies
- Northland community rallies to keep beached humpback whale alive
The whale and a calf were marooned on Sunday morning at Ripiro Beach, outside Dargaville. The calf died on Monday, leaving the larger whale obviously weak and alone.
DoC operations manager Stephen Stoole said the attempts to re-float the whale had been unsuccessful.
The whale's condition was deteriorating, she was in distress and unlikely to survive.
"Those with the whales did all they could to keep them comfortable and attempt refloating," he says.
"A big thanks to Te Roroa, Te Uri o Hau, Project Jonah, Ingrid Visser and her team and Northland locals who worked alongside DoC staff to help the whales as much as possible. This is a sad outcome and a decision not taken lightly."
Newshub.
