Among the total 12 melon-headed whales stranded on the coast in East China last week, five have perished and six have been released to the open sea, with the last one receiving treatment through liquid food infusion. After a few days’ treatment, the whale’s gastric ulcer is healing.
According to the local government of Linhai in Taizhou city in Zhejiang, the whale can eat foods independently and interact with the staff taking care of it, although its physical condition is weak. Some biochemical indicators show the whale is not risk-free yet. Currently, the whale is still receiving infusion treatment, The Paper reported.
On Tuesday morning, the whale consumed a total of nine little fish.
When the whale was rescued, it suffered from severe dehydration, gastrointestinal bleeding and other critical conditions. A 15-member treatment group consisting of specialists, veterinarians, and breeders are taking care of it round-the-clock.
Approved by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Zhejiang Province, the five dead whales will be donated to five scientific research institutes and museums including the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Research Center for Marine Mammal of School of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Dalian Mystery Life Museum and Zhejiang Museum of Natural History.
The institutes have promised to use the whale bodies in scientific researches and will not sell or use them in other ways.
Whale breeders take blood tests for a whale treated at Linhai Hong Ye Seafood Farming Company on July 7, 2021. Photo: VCG
