Drone Footage Captures Beached Sperm Whale on Florida Gulf Coast

Storyful
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A Florida resident captured drone video of a beached sperm whale that eventually died off the coast of Venice, Florida, on Monday, March 11.

Brett Koppes of Sarasota Drone Guy recorded this footage of the enormous endangered animal’s body on Monday.

According to local outlet Sarasota Herald-Tribune, local scientists and law enforcement marine units attempted to assist the 44-foot-long whale before it died, but high winds and surf prevented them from approaching it to provide possible life-saving interventions.

The whale died sometime between 3 and 4 am local time, according to Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium.

Laura Ingleby, chief of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Mammal branch, told local media that, while the death of the whale was unpleasant for the scientists, they would use the opportunity to understand why it was beached, and learn more about the species.

The sperm whale was “towed out in the Gulf approximately 15 miles” on March 12, local officials said. Credit: Sarasota Drone Guy via Storyful