Stranded baby whale dies in Australian pool
Date: 05-Oct-01
Country: AUSTRALIA
The whale, weighing 60 kg (132 pounds), beached itself on rocks on Hamilton Island on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef on Australia's east coast.
Staff drained the chlorinated water from the children's pool at the resort, replaced it with fresh water, and then transferred the whale, only a few months old, into the toddlers' pool.
But the whale died despite a 24-hour vigil by staff, a resort spokesman said yesterday.
"The male whale, estimated to be aged between two and four months, passed away at around 10.30 pm (1230 GMT) last night," she said, adding that it would be autopsied.