The State - News from July 27, 1987

A sickly, newborn porpoise that washed up on Miwok Beach north of San Francisco died, despite around-the-clock efforts by more than 100 volunteers to keep her alive. Officials said the calf’s immune system was believed to have been severely weakened because she did not drink her mother’s milk, containing the fortifier colostrom, during her first 24 hours of life. Marine mammal specialists at the Marine World/Africa USA park in Vallejo had given the calf only a slight chance of survival, but offers to help her poured in from throughout the country, nonetheless. Several nursing human mothers even offered their own milk, but veterinarians said it would not help. The calf died of complications due to pneumonia.