Dead Whale Missing From Stratford Has Been Found

STRATFORD, CT — The search for the missing carcass of a dead pygmy sperm whale is over. Officials announced Wednesday morning that the dead whale was recovered on Jan. 15, one week after the town issued a request for information regarding the disappearance of the rare whale’s carcass from Russian Beach.

The mystery of the missing dead whale started at the beginning of December when there were reported sightings on Russian Beach. The dead whale was confirmed to be a rare pygmy sperm whale after it was inspected by Christina Senft-Batoh, the town's conservation administrator, along with representatives from Mystic Aquarium and the Connecticut DEEP.

Officials had expected that the whale carcass “would eventually wash back out to sea.” However, during a major storm event, the whale was moved further west along Russian Beach, to the vicinity of Lordship Road, according to Senft-Batoh. That was the last known location of the whale, because at some point on Dec. 30, the whale was removed from the beach, "possibly with the use of a cart or ATV," Senft-Batoh said at the time.

Representatives of the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History worked with staff from CT DEEP’s Wildlife Division and the Town of Stratford’s Department of Public Works to retrieve the whale on Jan. 15, according to a joint press release from Senft-Batoh, Gregory Watkins-Colwell, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, and Jenny Dickson, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection- Wildlife Division.

“Pygmy sperm whales are rather elusive and this may mark the first instance that the species has been recorded, dead or alive, in Long Island Sound,” they said in a statement. “In the future, the bones of the approximately eight foot long whale will be an important research specimen in the vast collections of Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. It will be made available to scientists visiting from around the world and possibly used in courses at Yale University and various public programs. The pygmy sperm whale recovered from Stratford will certainly provide very valuable research and educational opportunities for generations to come.”

Town officials won’t disclose where the whale was located, saying they offered that information given would be anonymous with no questions asked, according to the Connecticut Post.