Dead Middletown Whale's Necropsy Results Showed Signs Of An Infection

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The juvenile minke whale that died in Leonardo State Marina in Middletown Wednesday showed signs of having an infection.

This according to the results of a necropsy that was done Thursday on the whale, and it was announced Friday morning by the Marine Mamma Stranding Center on their Facebook page. They have a photo of the necropsy being performed and the whale being cut open on a beach near Middletown.

The necropsy (autopsy on an animal) was finished by Thursday night, and the whale was actually buried on a beach near Sandy Hook, with the help of Middletown DPW workers.

There was no evidence of the whale being struck by a boat, said Sheila Dean, executive director of the Stranding Center.

"Initial findings showed bloody froth in the lungs, and signs of infectious disease in multiple organs," read their report.

Tellingly, there also was no food found in the whale's GI tract, she said — meaning the animal had stopped eating, another sign it may have been battling an infection or virus.

She said further samples have been sent to a lab to learn more.

"But that's what we know for now," she said Friday afternoon.

The whale carcass had become lodged in a bulkhead at the marina and Marine Mammal Stranding staff extricated it Thursday, with help from the Middletown Township Dive Team. Employees at the marina and State Park Police helped tow the whale carcass to a nearby beach for the necropsy.

"Marine Mammal Stranding Center Staff, with the assistance of staff from Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, Sea Turtle Recovery and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, completed the necropsy by 7:00 p.m." wrote the Stranding Center. "The whale was buried nearby with the assistance of the Middletown Department of Public Works and the New Jersey State Parks Service."

The whale was a sub-adult male measuring 18 feet, 7 inches in length, the group said.

"Samples were collected and will be sent for histopathologic analysis. When results become available, they will be shared via our website at the following link- https://mmsc.org/cetaceans-2002-2023"

Dead Baby Whale Washes Up At Leonardo Marina In Middletown (Oct. 19)