Last week a live Gervais' Beaked Whale washed up in Emerald Isle and died soon after, and researchers say a necropsy – an autopsy on an animal – found the 10-foot, 9-inch long female calf died from ingesting a plastic balloon.
Officials with the N.C. State University Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, or CMAST, say Beaked Whales are deep-diving marine mammals and live sightings are rare. They live at the continental shelf edge and beyond and they spend most of their time under water.
Last month an attempt to ban mass balloon releases in the City of Greenville failed on a 4-3 vote.
