Stranded killer whale euthanized

HONOLULU, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- A young female killer whale that washed up on a beach in Hawaii was euthanized after experts determined the animal was too sick to survive.

The whale beached late Tuesday at Brennecke's Beach on the island of Kauai, the westernmost in the Hawaiian chain, KITV in Honolulu reported. Attempts to push the whale into the water were unsuccessful.

By Wednesday morning, federal and state wildlife officials had arrived along with a large crowd of onlookers. Witnesses spotted sharks in the area and fresh shark bites on the whale.

"It was very obvious that the animal was in very, very poor condition," David Schofield of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told KITV. "The fact that you could see its ribs, the fact that you could see a defined neck and that you could see a pelvic region showed that the animal was very, very emaciated."

The 18-foot whale was sedated and killed.

Killer whales, or orcas, are the largest member of the dolphin family and are found in most of the world's oceans. The species isn't considered endangered, although some local populations are at risk.