Friday 1 October 2010

Beached whale saved in Taipei County

A dwarf sperm whale found beached in Taipei County's Wanli Township Sept. 29 has been safely transported by a fishing boat back into the open seas for release.


Coast Guard patrolmen and local firefighters rushed to the scene around noon upon receiving word of the beached whale. They used wet blankets and sheets to keep the whale wet, all the while splashing ocean water on it. Chen De-qin, a veterinarian from Yehliu Ocean World, took the whale's pulse, after which he drew blood and then delivered nutrients to the mammal through an intravenous drip.


Taipei County Animal Disease Control Center veterinarian Zhou Jin-quan also rushed to the scene to confirm that the mammal was indeed a dwarf sperm whale. Zhou said that the three-meter-long whale, weighing in at over 200 kilograms, likely suffered from what was similar to heat stroke due to the relatively high water temperatures near the shore. He said cooler water temperatures and ample amounts of fish in the high seas should enable the whale to recover.


source: http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=120208&ctNode=445

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