Young humpback whale found dead off the coast of Vancouver Island | Daily Hive

Young humpback whale found dead off the coast of Vancouver Island (PHOTOS)

Jared Towers/Marine Education & Research Society

Editor’s Note: The photos in this story may be disturbing to some readers.

Heartbreaking photos of a young female humpback whale have been posted online after she was found dead off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.

Marine Education and Research Society (MERS) say they knew the whale well, as they had been following her life since 2018. The researchers named her “Spike” after a dinosaur character in the movie Land Before Time because of a dinosaur-like marking on the left side of her tail.

The organization posted about her death this week, saying sadly her body was found Sunday on the north side of Malcolm Island near Telegraph Cove.

A member of MERS team was able to identify Spike when the organization received photos from the field.

MERS explains Spike’s body can be seen inflated and swollen in the photos which is a result of gases building up from decay.

The cause of death is not yet known but MERS says it’s secured Spike’s body so that she does not float away with the possible evidence of what killed her.

“Considering Spike was a young female and that there are no apparent external injuries, it will not be a surprise if it is found that she died from blunt force trauma from being hit by a boat,” a post from MERS reads.

A necropsy was conducted Wednesday by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to learn more about the whale and what caused her death.

“This is an absolute rarity to have the opportunity to learn from a whale,” researcher for MERS Jackie Hildering said. “Whales are barometers of our values and their indicators of environmental health.”

Based on the necropsy, Hildering said Spike was about six to eight years old.

It is estimated that humpbacks can live as long as at least 80 years.

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The saddening photos of this incident were shared for two reasons, MERS explained.

“So locals know this has been reported and action is being undertaken (thanks to all for making sure we knew),” said first.

The second reason being, “So that the tragedy might lead to more awareness, from who to call, to whatever conclusions can be made about the cause of her death.”