Rare whale death spurs investigation in New Zealand
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A member of the public discovered a young pygmy right whale, a rare baleen whale species, dead on a beach near Wairau Bar in Marlborough, New Zealand on Monday.
Department of Conservation (DOC) South Marlborough operations manager Stacey Wrenn reported the whale was in good condition despite being 3.6 metres long. DOC staff and representatives from Rangitāne o Wairau, a local Māori iwi (tribe), performed a traditional ceremony called tikanga of taunaha at the site.
Te Matahiapo Hynes of Rangitāne led karakia, or prayers, and provided cultural guidance. The organizations arranged a necropsy, an animal autopsy, to investigate the cause of death and learn more about these elusive whales, which are rarely seen. Staff from Massey University’s Cetacean Pathology Unit traveled to the location to collect tissue and organ samples. Although the initial examination revealed no clear cause of death, the samples will undergo further testing.
DOC and Rangitāne o Wairau buried the whale on Tuesday afternoon, acknowledging the iwi’s longstanding connection to whales and other treasured species.
