Minke whale euthanized after washing up in the Bronx, New York

Aliza Chasan and Alyssa Zauderer
pix11.com
Sun, 23 Apr 2017 09:17 UTC

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society is investigating what caused a 15-foot whale to wash up in the Bronx Sunday afternoon.

The minke whale was stranded in Orchard Beach around noon Sunday.

Several agencies including the NYPD, Riverhead Foundation and veterinarians from the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo attempted to help the whale swim on its own back out to see.

Officials say though the whale was free floating, it kept sinking and washing up on the shore. They decided the most humane thing to do was to euthanize it, as it would not be able to survive in the wild.

The whale was euthanized around 6:30 p.m. after hours of trying to save it.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, minke whales only wash ashore when there's an underlying health issue.

A necropsy will be performed by the AMCS to determine the cause of death.