Mike Brook writes:
The humpback whale that washed up last month is still decomposing down the beach, and I'm sure will be all winter. However, now there are lots of whale nuggets that have washed up as a result of the necropsy that was performed. I counted at least a dozen large chunks, plus many pieces of whale skin. Some of the large pieces have been chewed a bit, I'm guessing by a dog or bird. Given that this stuff is going to be here for a while, I'm wondering if there is any danger to dogs that might get curious about it.
LEO says:
During late September of this year a young humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) washed ashore in Upper Cook Inlet, biologists performing the necropsy stated the whale species is not known, and there's the potential it may not be identified because of decomposition. This observation has been shared with the Wildlife Health and Disease Surveillance Program (ADF&G)
Alaska Department of Fish and Game Consult Kimberlee Beckmen:
It doesn’t matter if it was necropsied or not, if it wasn’t opened by scientists it would rot then eventually explode or be opened by scavengers such as bears then smaller scavengers such as fox, mink, birds, etc. People and dogs should simply not eat stranded/found dead marine mammals or other wildlife. Since marine mammals strand or die and wash up regularly and are hunted by native hunters who may leave inedible parts left on the beach, dead animal parts could be found on any beach throughout Alaska at any time. Even when a municipality chooses to tow a carcass off a beach, they still float and tend to wash up on the next tide on a nearby beach. The other option of deep burial on site above the high tide line requires heavy equipment and an operator but situations, where these are readily available and can access the carcass location, are extremely rare. Keeping dogs on a leash (abiding by local ordinances) is all that is needed for people to protect their pets and themselves. The same goes for finding any animal carcass or the gut pile whether it died on its own, was predator-killed or just the remains from a hunter-harvested animal. Don’t eat it or drink water from a water body with a rotting carcass upstream or floated in it.
This is a good opportunity to review what found dead whale or other animal parts people find that they can keep or not and when permits are required. See the Alaska Fish & Wildlife News, October 2017 issue. Beckmen, K., Wildlife Veterinarian, Wildlife Health and Disease Surveillance Program (ADF&G)
Media:
Alaska Dispatch News – "Ken Marsh, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, cautioned people that the whale carcass could attract bears. The department had received reports of two black bear sows with cubs in the area, he said." Sept. 25, 2017.
Resources:
Alaska Region Marine Mammal Stranding Network – Report a Stranded/Beached Marine Animal: respond to stranded (sometimes called "beached") marine mammals (whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and sea lions), we work with volunteer stranding networks in all coastal states, coordinated by regional marine mammal stranding coordinators.
Alaska SeaLife Center – The Alaska Stranding Network works with the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP) of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).This observation has been shared with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
