By Canadian Press

Necropsy underway on whale that died after unusual visit to Montreal area

Jun 10, 2020 | 9:01 AM

MONTREAL — A necropsy is underway on a young humpback whale that was found dead Tuesday after making a rare visit to the Montreal area.

Marie-Eve Muller of the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals says the necropsy will try to determine how the whale died, whether it had any health problems and whether it managed to feed while in fresh water.

She says experts have confirmed the whale was a young female measuring just over 10 metres  long and weighing more than 17 tonnes.

A boat pilot spotted the carcass of the whale just northeast of Montreal Tuesday morning after the animal had drawn crowds in the city’s Old Port.

The young humpback whale spent just over a week in the area after swimming hundreds of kilometres up the St. Lawrence River in late May, but it hadn’t been sighted since the weekend.

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Muller says the veterinarians carrying out the necropsy should have preliminary findings to announce later today.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2020

The Canadian Press