A rare whale washes up on an Argentinian beach, calls for help and is found dead the next day; video

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The beaked whale is a deep-sea cetacean, meaning it lives far from shore and spends most of its life in deep waters, where it undertakes extreme dives to feed primarily on squid and fish. Its behavior is considered very elusive: it spends little time on the surface, making it extremely difficult to study it in its natural habitat.

Beaked whale strandings off the coast of Argentina are considered extremely rare. According to the foundation’s veterinarian, Juan Pablo Loureiro, since the creation of the institution in 1987, only four cases of strandings of this species have been recorded.

Experts were therefore surprised when the cetacean appeared on a central beach in the tourist town. The foundation received a call on Tuesday afternoon, around 7:30 p.m., and emergency services were immediately notified. Even though they were off duty and at home, they quickly began organizing to try to save the animal.

One group went to the beach to provide aid, while another went to the rescue center to collect necessary tools and equipment. Due to the low visibility and the heavy weight of the animal, the operation was not simple. It was a young male measuring 4.32 meters long and weighing approximately one ton. It took the joint work of several team members to strategically move and push the animal back into the sea.

For several hours, the team tried to keep the animal in shallow water, hoping it would be able to swim on its own. On each attempt, the cetacean would ride out the waves and head out to sea, but quickly return to the coast in circles – a common behavior among cetaceans with serious conditions associated with beach strandings.

Rescue operation in danger

Sergio Rodríguez Heredia, head of the foundation’s Rescue Center, explained the difficulty encountered when trying to return the animal to the sea. “The animal went out to sea several times, but as soon as it crossed the waves, it systematically returned. This gave us a poor prognosis, indicating a delicate condition. Despite this, we continued to try to help it, supporting it, refloating it and giving it time to recover and swim on its own,” he said.

The operation continued until 9 p.m., when, after great efforts by the team, the beaked whale managed to swim into the open sea and disappeared from sight. Due to the lack of visibility, it was not possible to follow the animal in the water. The action tested the limits of the foundation’s security protocol, highlighting the risk the team takes when operating in the dark.

Confirmed death and examinations

Although the operation appeared to have been successful at the time, the beaked whale was found dead on the coast the next morning during a surveillance patrol. The body was located very close to where the rescue services had initially taken place.

“It’s a shame that the animal didn’t survive, but we are happy with the work that was accomplished overnight. Every animal counts, and whether we try or not, it can make all the difference, giving an animal a second chance. We know that death is part of the natural cycle, but we will always be there when there is a way to help,” Rodríguez Heredia said.

The animal’s body was transported to the rescue center, where the necropsy and samples were taken. Preliminary results from the laboratories of the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences of the National University of La Plata indicated that the cetacean suffered from pneumonia and a high parasite load in the gastrointestinal tract. According to the foundation, this pre-existing condition was likely the determining factor in the death.