Dwarf whale dies after Maui rescue
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
MA'ALAEA, Maui — Wildlife officials were feeling triumphant when a dwarf sperm whale was rescued from a Kihei beach Sunday and then survived a night at the Maui Ocean Center in seemingly good health.
Randy Miller • Special to The Honolulu Advertiser
But the jubilation turned into bitter disappointment yesterday morning as the rarely seen marine mammal died while it was being returned to sea.
A dwarf sperm whale died while being returned to the ocean off Maui's western shore on a Land and Natural Resources vessel with specialists Hannah Bernard and Jim Luecke. It was rescued from a Kihei beach Monday.
"It was shocking,'' said Hannah Bernard, a Maui Ocean Center scientist. "It was very distressing for all of us.''
The 300- to 400-pound, 7-foot-long whale died on a state Department of Land and Natural Resources boat several miles into the channel between Maui and Kaho'olawe.
Dwarf sperm whales are found in tropical and subtropical waters and are rarely seen in Hawaiian waters. The species previously had been identified only three times in Hawai'i, including a stranding on O'ahu in 1986 and another on Lana'i in 1991.
Scientists on the boat wanted to bring the creature back to shore for an examination to determine the cause of death. But Charles Kauluwehi Maxwell Sr. and two Native Hawaiian divers on board insisted the whale be returned to the ocean, Maxwell said.
"It had been through enough stress,'' said Maxwell, a Native Hawaiian spiritual leader. "We asked that the spirit of the Hawaiian culture remain intact.''
Bernard said that while the whale appeared relatively strong, it was not entirely surprising that it didn't make it. Marine mammals strand themselves for a reason, she said, and often that reason is there's something seriously wrong.
The whale had been examined by state veterinarian Greg Massey from Maui and federal veterinarian Thierry Work of the U.S. Geological Survey in Honolulu, who gave the green light for its return to the ocean.
The injured whale was discovered at Kamaole Beach Park Sunday morning by divers who were training just off-shore. They pulled the animal from the beach into shallow water and stayed with it while county lifeguards patrolled in personal watercraft to ward off any sharks that may have been attracted by blood in the water.
Eventually, a state Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement officer arrived and others joined in the rescue, with help from divers, lifeguards and personnel with state and federal agencies.
Wildlife officials said superficial wounds on the whale appeared to have been caused by a shark or from an injury during the stranding.
The Maui event was reminiscent of a stranding in Lahaina three years ago. A rarely seen pygmy sperm whale was rescued from the shore, spent the night at the Maui Ocean Center and was released in the channel the next morning. Officials believe that animal survived.
Bernard, a former National Marine Fisheries Service scientist and stranding network coordinator in San Diego, organized a team of volunteers to watch over the whales on both occasions.
