Marine Connection has received the news from colleagues in Hawaii that the Blainesville beaked whale rescued several weeks ago has died, despite much effort to save its life. To date no beaked whale has ever survived to the point where it could be released back into the wild.

A necropsy of the sub adult male revealed the whale suffered from moderate pneumonia, severe gastrointestinal disease, kidney disease and deteriorating body condition. Each of these diseases could have killed the animal but it's not clear how the whale contracted the illnesses. It was given medication to fight internal infections and seemed to be in a stable condition until it eventually succumbed to illness. The Coast Guard flew the whale to Hilo from Maui so it could be cared for at the Hawaii Cetacean Rehabilitation Facility, it weighed 1,800-pounds.

Marine Connection's co-founder comments "We had been receiving daily updates about the whale's health and progress and although it's disappointing to hear the news, it's not surprising because so far, the longest a beaked whale has lived after being rescued is four weeks. They are fascinating creatures especially as they only spend three percent of their time at the surface, as a result when one strands there is always a lot of interest from the scientific community. Tests showed the whales' hearing to be normal but there are plans to conduct a CT scan on the animal's head to learn more."

There are between 1,200 to 2,200 Blainville's beaked whales in Hawaiian waters. The Northern Gulf of Mexico stock is about 100 animals. There is no current estimate for the Western North Atlantic Stock. The species is protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.