Whale found dead in Alaska appeared to be in poor health

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – National Park Service officials say a humpback whale with a long history of sightings in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park appeared to be in poor health at the time of its recent death.

The 40-foot-long whale was found dead June 26 near the mouth of the bay. The necropsy, whose preliminary findings were released July 6, found bleeding and bruising in the animal’s mouth indicating physical injury, but no evidence of skull or other bone fractures was found.

Officials say tissue sample tests to evaluate exposure to harmful toxins will be available in four-to- six weeks.

Officials say old age might have contributed to the whale’s death.

The whale was first documented in Lynn Canal in 1972, and the last sighting was in Glacier Bay in 2015.