For the first time in 25 years, a sperm whale washed ashore in San Diego.
The square-faced whale turned up around 9:30 p.m. Sunday near La Jolla Underwater Park. The animal cut himself, drawing blood after rolling around in the rocky surf.
Twenty SeaWorld San Diego employees, including a veterinarian and a curator, worked through the night.
When the crew showed up they drew blood from the whale and injected him with antibiotics. Then around 1 a.m., they pushed him back into the ocean about a quarter-mile.
“What we decided to do in the best interest of this animal was to swim it off the each,” said Keith Yip, Curator of Mammals with Seaworld San Diego.
The whale is presumed to be male, 15 to 18 feet long and an estimated 3,000 pounds. He appears to be a young whale but not a newborn, according to Yip.
Authorities say the whale probably beached itself because it was either sick or lost and if he is sick, it could be back again.
It's very unusual to see a sperm-whale come ashore here in La Jolla - typically we see more gray whales.
In fact, right now is prime whale-watching season as more than 20,000 gray whales begin their migration from the Artic to Baja.
If you see a stranded animal on the San Diego coastline, Yip suggests you call his staff at SeaWorld San Diego by dialing (800) 541 – SEAL.
