First Orca in 70 Years Standed in Florida

 Early this year, an Orca killer whale beached itself on Florida’s northern Atlantic coast.

Given the massive death toll of whales in general, this even is significant– it is the first orca whale to beach itself in the southeast U.S. in nearly 70 years. The Orca died shortly afterward of an illness in Palm Coast, Fla., officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries division said.

The Orca was laid to rest at a secret location on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville.

It appeared to be alive when it was first stranded but died before crews could get there. The crews transported the killer whale to a lab at SeaWorld where they performed a necropsy. They confirmed that it was an older female and there was some evidence of illness. Tissue samples have been sent out for testing to determine what specific illness caused the death of the whale.

The last recorded strandings in the region were in Okaloosa County, Florida in 1956 and Summerland Key, Florida in 1948, Erin Fougeres said. Fougeres, who has a doctorate in marine biology, is the marine mammal stranding program administrator for NOAA fisheries in the Southeast region.