Necropsy on endangered killer whale shows animal suffered blunt-force trauma
VANCOUVER — A necrospy on an endangered killer whale found floating off the coast of British Columbia showed the animal had blunt-force trauma to its head and neck, officials say.
The male orca, found in the water off the Sunshine Coast north of Vancouver on Tuesday, also had a hematoma, indicating it was alive for a time after the injury, said Paul Cottrell, Pacific marine mammal co-ordinator with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
He said the damage may have been caused by a vessel strike or other “heavy contact,” but investigators are waiting on tissue tests and other results to determine exactly what happened.
“I think as we get more information back from the necropsy, it’ll help inform us going forward, for sure,” Cottrell said.