HAIKOU, June 25 (Xinhua) -- A short-finned pilot whale which failed to survive after it stranded itself ashore earlier this month will be made into a specimen in Sanya, a tourist city in south China's Hainan Province.
The whale, which was 2.98 meters long, weighing 343 kg, ran stranded in the waters of the Asian Bay in Sanya twice, on June 6 and 7. It died on June 10 despite days of rescue efforts, said a source of the Institute of Deep Ocean Science and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Marine mammal veterinarians with the institute carried out the examination anatomy on the whale. Further examination showed there were no serious injuries on its body or internal organs, said the source.
The experts said the female whale was a mother who had just given birth. She was sensitive to disturbance from the effects of human activities, leading to its physiological disorders, which was blamed for its being stranded. She had suffered from a prolonged period of malnutrition, as there was no food residue in the stomach.
The whale will be used for basic research with its bones and skin to be made into specimens, which will be displayed at the institute's exhibition hall and will be open to the public for free.
