A rare pygmy right whale has been found dead on a beach in Marlborough.
Department of Conservation (DOC) South Marlborough operations manager Stacey Wrenn said the young whale was found by a member of the public near the Wairau Bar on Monday morning.
Pygmy right whales are the smallest and one of the rarest species of baleen whale. They can grow to about six metres long and weigh up to 3500 kilograms.
They are found across the southern hemisphere but are very cryptic and not often seen at sea, so Wrenn said a lot of what was known about them was from strandings.
The whale was in good condition when it was found and measured about 3.6 metres long, she said.
DOC staff and iwi representatives from Rangitāne o Wairau went to the site and and carried out the tikanga of taunaha on the whale.
Te Matahiapo Hynes provided karakia and cultural guidance on behalf of Rangitāne.
Given its rarity, DOC and iwi agreed to arrange a necropsy to try and determine the cause of death and learn more about the elusive species.
The whale was transported to the local DOC base and staff from Massey University’s Cetacean Pathology Unit flew down on Tuesday to carry out the necropsy and take tissue and organ samples for testing.
The necropsy was carried out under the guidance of tangata whenua, with appropriate tikanga observed throughout the process. The taonga was buried on Tuesday afternoon.
No obvious cause of death was found but the samples will undergo further assessment. and the whale was buried on Tuesday afternoon.
Wren said DOC acknowledges the long and enduring relationship iwi have with tōhorā and other taonga species throughout its rohe.
Rangitāne o Wairau thanked everyone who had helped to uphold the mana of the taonga species.
“Encounters such as this remind us of our responsibilities as kaitiaki and the importance of ensuring these taonga are cared for with dignity and respect.”
DOC thanked Rangitāne o Wairau, Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Rārua and Massey University for their support.