DFO investigating dead porpoise found near Victoria
Authorities are investigating Wednesday after the body of a porpoise was discovered on a beach near Victoria.
The discovery at Esquimalt Lagoon in Colwood, B.C., was first reported to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) as a beached killer whale. But fisheries officers on scene determined it was actually the body of a Dall's porpoise, a species commonly found off the West Coast.
"We don't see them a whole lot in this area, especially inshore here," said Willi Jansen, an officer with the DFO's whale protection unit out of Victoria.
While the animal appeared to have some lacerations on its body, the DFO says it's too early to determine the cause of death.
The porpoise was loaded into a DFO truck Wednesday afternoon with the help of some beachgoers, and will be transported to a provincial lab in the Vancouver area.
"It will go back into our freezer and then be taken over to the Lower Mainland to the vet there to do a full necropsy to figure out how it died," said Jansen.
She estimated the animal weighed approximately 300 to 400 pounds.
"It was too big even for the body bag that we had so we put it on a stretcher and carried it up with the help of the public, which was much appreciated," Jansen told CTV News.
The DFO asks the public to report similar discoveries to its fisheries hotline at 1-800-465-4336.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
Closing arguments heard in trial for Sask. dad accused of abducting daughter
Closing arguments were heard Thursday morning in the case of Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter in 2021 to keep her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.