Endangered Pacific Gray Whale Stranded in Mediterranean Faces Dire Situation

The life of the young gray whale Wally, spotted on Thursday, May 20, swimming off the coast of Majorca, is hanging by a thread. Originally from the Pacific, this cetacean that was spotted in Ibiza three days ago is at risk of dying, reports El País. The cause is lack of food.

It entered the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar several months ago. It had been observed in Morocco, Italy in recent weeks, in Naples, then Rome and Genoa. Lost, it can no longer find food. The cetacean is exhausted. "Its breathing is becoming slower and slower. [...] It is extremely thin," says the director of conservation at the Palma Aquarium.

In order to end the animal’s suffering, experts propose its slaughter. "A whale of this species has not been detected in the Mediterranean for 10 years. And that’s not good news, because it means that a factor has led it to flee the Pacific," explains Juan Antonio Raga, professor of zoology at the University of Valencia. For its part, the government of the Balearic Islands is trying to avoid the animal from stranding on the beach at all costs, according to sources from the Ministry of the Environment.