Beached Whale Rescued, Taken to Center

It looked like a dolphin, but it was a 1,000-pound beaked whale that beached itself Friday in Malibu, setting off an extensive rescue operation that ended with the cetacean’s transport to a center with a portable pool for marine mammals.

Lifeguards at Point Dume County Beach spotted the female whale trying to beach itself early Friday afternoon, said lifeguard Capt. Steve Moseley. Unable to steer the animal back toward the sea, the lifeguards and beach-goers continued to pour water on the motionless beast.

The whale was loaded onto a truck, wrapped in dampened fabric, and water was poured on its head throughout the trip to the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro.

“We gave her electrolyte solution, which is like Gatorade, medication for shock, and took some blood that is on its way to a vet for testing to see what’s wrong with her,” said Jackie Ott, director of the center.

The beaked whale was the first of its species to be taken to the facility in its seven years of operation, Ott said.

The animal didn’t stay long, though. The listless whale was transferred to the Friends of the Sea Lion facility in Laguna Beach, which has a portable pool large enough for it.

“She’s moving a little bit on her own but definitely needs help,” said Darah Himmelhock, director of operations at Friends of the Sea Lion. “Her breathing rate is a little high, which is an indication of stress.”

Michelle Hunter, assistant director of Friends of the Sea Lion, said caretakers hope that the whale can recover and be released back into the sea. She said that the organization cared for two female dolphins who had beached themselves earlier this year but that both animals died.

The survival rate for beached dolphins is only about 1 in 100, according to officials at the facility, but it has never cared for a beaked whale before.

Hunter said the caretakers think it is unlucky to name the whale and won’t do so unless it has to stay at the facility a long time.