Whale Death Count

Scientists and National Park Service workers were working Sunday to collect samples and clean up whale carcasses after 34 of the marine mammals beached themselves and either died or had to be euthanized.

Dozens of whales beached themselves early Saturday along a five-mile stretch of coastline near Oregon Inlet, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

Twenty-four pilot whales died, and another seven were euthanized because they were suffering, the National Park Service reported.

A single minke whale was found dead in Corolla, the Virginian-Pilot reported. Two pygmy sperm whales turned up Sunday morning near Buxton -- one already dead, and one so sick that it also had to be euthanized, NOAA Fisheries biologist Barbie Byrd said.

"We're hoping that this is all of them," she said.

It is not uncommon for pilot whales to beach themselves, but scientists do not know why. The pilot whale is a protected species but not endangered. NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service was coordinating a recovery effort that involved biologists, Coast Guard crews and the National Park Service.

Original Story:

MANTEO, N.C. (AP) _ At least 22 pilot whales beached themselves on the coast early Saturday, and at least 17 of them died, officials said.

The whales were stranded along a five-mile stretch of land near Oregon Inlet in the northern Outer Banks, said Laura Engleby, spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"We suspect there are more than 30" stranded whales, she said. "The sea conditions have been fluctuating, making it difficult to account for all of them."

It is not uncommon for pilot whales to beach themselves, but scientists do not know why. The pilot whale is a protected species but not endangered.

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service was coordinating a recovery effort that involved biologists, Coast Guard crews and the National Park Service.

If biologists determine any of the whales are likely to survive, the Coast Guard will help move them back out to sea, said Petty Officer Donnie Brzuska.

Brzuska said mass strandings of pilot whales are not unusual in Florida and New England, but the stranding on the North Carolina coast was unusual.

Adult pilot whales can reach 20 feet long and weigh up to three tons.