On Thanksgiving night in 1993, a six-foot pygmy sperm whale stranded on the New Jersey coast.
The US Coast Guard flew the whale to the Aquarium, where veterinarians discovered that the animal’s rapidly deteriorating health was caused by several large pieces of plastic lodged in her stomach.
These pieces of plastic, including a mylar balloon, blocked the passage of food from her stomach to intestines.
Pygmy sperm whales are one of the most commonly stranded species reported along the southeastern coast of the United States.
From January 1978 to September 1997, 446 pygmy sperm whales were reported stranded along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast US Stranding Network.
Despite the high number of strandings, this whale, which came to be known as “Inky,” became the first successfully treated and released pygmy sperm whale.
Treatment and Recovery
MARP surgeons removed a total of three square feet of plastic over the course of six endoscopic procedures.
Within hours, Inky's appetite increased, and the once-lethargic whale began to demonstrate why the Japanese call the pygymy sperm whale “kujira” or “firecracker whale.”
Inky displayed intense firecracker-like activity, with explosive jumps and flips. And as she continued to heal, she exhibited the survival behavior that earned her nickname by releasing clouds of ink, a behavior that had previously been observed only in the wild.
Release and Tracking
Equipped with short-term tracking devices, the whale was released off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida on May 31, 1994.
Over the following four days, researchers collected information about her movements, including traveling speeds and diving and surfacing patterns.
Additionally, the whale was monitored from a boat in relatively close proximity, permitting behavioral observations.
Tracking data indicates that the whale re-acclimated quickly to life in the wild. Her speed, direction, and diving patterns varied, which are often signs of good health.
Diving patterns implied that the animal was feeding normally. Dives deepened or shortened at times of day when prey, such as squid, were likely to be at corresponding depths.
On the third day, the whale crossed the bow of the researchers’ boat. The whale broke the surface of the water four times before disappearing from view.
Transmissions from the tracking devices stopped the following morning, but like the animal's behavior on the previous evening, the data leads researchers to believe that the animal was healthy and likely to thrive in the wild.
