FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — A few days each week, Sandra Baker-Hinton goes out to Fort Clinch for her turtle patrol duties.
But this past week has been an interesting one for her. Within a few days, she found two dead whales. She found the first one Sunday.
“When I got closer, it had an odd shape to it. It almost made you think of a seal or dolphin,” said Baker-Hinton.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hauled it away to do a necropsy.
Then on Tuesday, Baker-Hinton found a second whale. This one was decomposed.
“It had heavy shark scavenging,” said Nadia Gordon, a marine mammal biologist for FWC.
Trending on ActionNewsJax.com:
- Report: Jaguars running back Denard Robinson 'asleep' behind wheel in crash
- Husband charged in murder of 22-year-old wife in Starke
- Hawthorne man killed by fireworks, deputies say
- Woman used baby 'like a bat' during fight with boyfriend, witnesses say
- Oceanway woman getting some help fighting crime in her neighborhood
Gordon said a necropsy was also done on this whale. The cause of death for both whales is still undetermined.
She said FWC has seen an increase in the number of dead animals washing ashore lately, and even had an unusual call.
“We also had whale parts wash up on Tuesday in St. Johns County – a couple lungs and a liver,” said Gordon.
This could be from decomposing or shark scavenging.
Gordon said if an animal is beached, its probably there for a reason and needs immediate attention.
Baker-Hinton said she’s continuing to keep her eyes open during her patrols.
FWC says if you see an animal on the shore, don't try to throw it back into the water. Call the FWC hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC.
One of the two whales found dead on Fort Clinch's beach pic.twitter.com/LGQeVxL8p8
— Deanna Bettineschi (@DeannaWAVY) July 21, 2016
Here's a second one found by a sea turtle patrol volunteer. FWC says it was a calf pic.twitter.com/lYUfgDDAa7
— Deanna Bettineschi (@DeannaWAVY) July 21, 2016
Cox Media Group
