Sick Whale Put Down Near Gilgo Beach

An ailing pygmy sperm whale that beached itself along the shoreline just east of Gilgo Beach was euthanized on Tuesday by a marine life organization.

According to Newsday [paid subscription], the sick whale was seen on the beach by a bystander around 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The Riverhead Foundation, a non-for-profit organization that rescues and rehabilitates marine life, responded to the call, meeting with biologists and police at the whale's location east of Babylon Town's Gilgo Beach.

The whale's condition was considered too grave to be saved and was euthanized.

Pygmy sperm whales are a rare sighting near Long Island, usually living in the warmer waters off of the southeastern United States. The mammals often can weigh up to 800 pounds; the euthanized whale was only 400 to 500 pounds when it was found.

"We rarely encounter this species, and when we do, it often is a very compromised animal," said Riverhead Foundation spokesperson Kim Durham. "It's unusual to have this species on our shore and the condition of the animal indicated it had likely been sick for a while because it was so skinny."

The whale's body was stretchered into a truck for analysis by the Riverhead Foundation.

The whale is among at least two to have beached themselves along the shoreline of Long Island this year, including a finback whale in January near East Hampton and another in East Quogue in April.