POIPU, Kauai » Scientists hope to learn much from the death of a stranded killer whale, a rare visitor to Hawaii waters.

Stranded Kauai Orca Euthanized

 

An 18-foot juvenile female Orca was seen with large shark bites and seemed to be in very poor health when it was found Brennecke's Beach.

 

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The sick female orca — about 18 feet long and between 3,000 and 5,000 pounds — beached itself at Brennecke's Beach in Poipu on Tuesday night but was euthanized yesterday by federal wildlife officials after an unsuccessful attempt to rescue the animal.

Covered in bloody scrapes and whale lice, and with circular chunks removed by smaller sharks, the orca was likely sick for weeks before ending up at the popular tourist beach, said David Schofield, marine mammal stranding coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service. There were no obvious signs of attack by a large predator or collision with a ship.

The orca “;was in very, very poor condition,”; Schofield said. She was “;very emaciated,”; with her ribs showing, her neck visible and other signs of stress.

The whale was taken to land owned by the Grove Farm Co. near the Koloa Sugar Mill, and will be buried there after a necropsy is done.

Because killer whales are relatively rare here, scientists hope to glean a lot of information from the animal, including the cause of death, her age, where orcas in Hawaii come from and what they eat while they are here. The results, however, will likely take weeks.

Biologists differed as to how old the whale was. Schofield said her length likely made her a subadult, between 7 and 12 years old. But marine biologist Don Heacock of the Department of Land and Natural Resources said he thought she was a fully grown adult who likely had birthed calves previously and could have died from old age.

While killer whales are spotted around Hawaii every year, the stranding of a killer whale is so rare that Schofield “;was very skeptical,”; he said, when he first heard the report around 11 p.m. Tuesday.

After examining the whale yesterday, experts determined the humane treatment was to euthanize the orca, said Michelle Yuen, a federal marine mammal biologist.

Heacock said leaving the whale on the beach or pushing it back out to sea would have “;attracted sharks from 10 miles away.”;

A pod of about three to four killer whales was spotted outside of Nawiliwili Harbor Tuesday, but it is unclear whether the stranded whale was part of the pod.

Pods can have up to a dozen whales and rarely separate. However, whales, like elephants, usually leave their pod if they are terminally ill. Scientists believe it is an evolutionary function that keeps predators from attacking the main pod, Heacock added.

Killer whales are found worldwide with a majority residing in cooler waters. “;They are considered to be rare and infrequent in the Hawaiian waters, but they do reside here in Hawaii with a population estimated of a minimum of 250 individuals,”; Yuen said.

The last killer whale stranding occurred in April 2004 in Lanai. At that time a 19-foot female whale was observed by scientists doing research on humpback whales. There were no signs of injuries caused by predators or vessels. Prior to that, a killer whale was stranded on the Big Island in 1950, Yuen said.

About 500 onlookers, locals and tourists, turned up to take pictures of the sight yesterday morning.

Anthony Davis heard strange noises Tuesday night outside his hotel room at Poipu Point but thought it was noise pumped in. “;It sounded like whales supposedly singing,”; he said as he watched the whale thrash in the surf.