Whale, baby dolphin wash up on Bald Head Island

BALD HEAD ISLAND, NC (WWAY) — Two sea animals were found beached on Bald Head Island yesterday morning.

Bald Head Island Conservancy Assistant Director Poul Lindegaard says a dead beaked whale was found on South Beach, while a baby bottle nose was found alive on East Beach almost to Fort Fisher.

Lindegaard says a team from the UNCW Marine Mammal Stranding Program came to the island and determined that the dolphin, which was just a few days old, had no chance to live. It was euthanized.

Lindegaard says the team did a necropsy on the whale, but has not yet determined what led to its beaching and death.

The beachings happened in the wake of Tropical Storm Ana, but Lindegaard could not say whether the storm contributed to the animals’ deaths. He said it certainly could have increased the chances of them winding up on shore, though.