Overview

• Local seal hunters carried out the killing under authorization, with Thomas Diedrichsen saying colleague Sönke Lorenzen fired the shot.
• Witnesses reported the whale swam in circles and re-stranded at Munkmarsch, which Diedrichsen said suggested a neurological problem.
• The animal was described as severely emaciated with suspected fungal lesions at the mouth, and starvation was considered possible.
• The carcass was recovered and, according to the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park administration, will go to the Büsum wildlife research institute for analysis expected to take weeks.
• Another outlet cited the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover as the examination site, a destination not confirmed by park officials.