Virginia [USA], April 5: US authorities said the body of a mother whale of the North Atlantic right whale found off the coast of Virginia late last month was killed by a ship.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the results of forensic examination of the mother whale's body found off the coast of Virginia on March 30.
"The preliminary examination found that the mother whale suffered catastrophic injuries, her spine was dislocated and all vertebrae in her lower back were broken," according to a notice from NOAA.
"The above findings indicate that the animal was hit by a ship before death. Histological and diagnostic examinations are still underway. The NOAA Executive Office is investigating the incident," NOAA said.
The Cateret County News-Times newspaper quoted experts as saying that the North Atlantic right whale has less than 360 individuals left in the natural environment.
The ill-fated mother whale, numbered #1950 by management for monitoring purposes, just gave birth this year.
The animal was first observed in 1989 and this year gave birth to its sixth baby whale. The baby whale was not seen around the mother's body, and according to experts, the baby whale is unlikely to survive after being hit by the ship. mother whale .
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper