Another porpoise calf dies after washing up on Dutch shore

A porpoise calf was found alive between Bergen and Egmond aan Zee on Sunday morning, but later died at the rescue organization, SOS Dolfijn reported.

People who saw the calf raised the alarm, and SOS Dolfijn took action. Unfortunately, the animal died after arriving at the rescue organization. SOS Dolfijn reports that porpoise calves are completely dependent on their mothers for survival in the first months of their lives.

The deceased porpoise calf of 83 centimeters and 9.3 kilograms will be taken to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Utrecht for examination. The researchers may be able to determine how the calf came to be alone, according to SOS Dolfijn.

Another live porpoise calf was also found on Texel on Thursday afternoon. This calf was less than 80 centimeters. It was euthanised because rescue was impossible due to its “very young age of only a few weeks old,” SOS Dolfijn reported. Past rescue attempts have not “proven successful” with very young animals “that are dependent on the very fatty mother’s milk that cannot be imitated well.”

The organization warned that there will be strong winds along the coast in the coming days, and more calves could be separated from their mothers in this way. SOS Dolfijn urged anyone who finds a porpoise not to push the animal back into the sea, but to call the organization.