A false killer whale that rescuers had pushed back into the sea stranded again at Pueh Beach in Sematan, Sarawak, Malaysia, and died, the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) said. A necropsy suggested the animal's death was linked to complications from the stranding, including possible circulatory failure caused by heat stress, DayakDaily reported.

The whale, an adult female measuring 3.85 meters (about 12.6 feet), was found weak on the beach again on the morning of Oct. 3 and died that afternoon. SFC also found that its stomach was nearly empty.

The case shows a hard truth about stranding rescues. Returning a marine mammal to the water can save it, but a stranded animal may already be sick, exhausted or overheated, and some return to shore no matter how quickly people act.

A Second Stranding at Pueh Beach

The whale first stranded at Pueh Beach and was returned to the sea with help from the Malaysian Civil Defence Force, police and residents, according to Utusan Sarawak. The exact date and time of the first stranding were not reported.

Local fishermen then alerted SFC that the whale had stranded again at the beach near the Pueh Youth Camp. The report came in at about 9 a.m. on Oct. 3, local time, and the whale was weak when officers arrived. It died at about 2 p.m., according to Malay Mail.

A team of nine SFC personnel and six Kampung Pueh residents carried out the response and the necropsy. Staff collected biological samples for a DNA database, following standard procedure.

SFC thanked the people involved in the first rescue. "The immediate action taken to release the marine mammal back into the sea is greatly appreciated and reflects the high level of awareness and cooperation among the relevant agencies and members of the public in efforts to conserve wildlife in Sarawak," the agency said in a statement reported by DayakDaily.

Necropsy Points to Heat and an Empty Stomach

The necropsy offered clues but not a final answer. "Based on the necropsy findings, the animal's death is believed to have been associated with complications arising from the stranding, including possible circulatory system failure caused by heat stress or heat stroke," SFC said, as translated by DayakDaily.

The team also found shark bite marks on the body. SFC did not say whether the bites happened before or after the whale's death.

Its stomach contents were "very minimal and mixed with sand," SFC reported, "indicating that the animal may not have been able to obtain sufficient food before becoming stranded." Malay Mail attributed that finding to SFC General Manager Abang Arabi Abang Aimran, who also serves as Sarawak's Controller of Wild Life.

These are preliminary findings — not a final cause of death. The SFC described heat stress as a believed and possible cause, not a confirmed one, and an empty stomach can point to illness or weakness that began well before the first stranding.

The Heat Trap of a Beached Whale

Whales and dolphins are built to hold onto heat — a strength at sea and a danger on land. Thick blubber keeps them warm in the ocean, where cool water constantly carries excess heat away. On a beach, that system breaks down.

Vanessa Pirotta, a wildlife scientist at Macquarie University in Australia, explained the problem in an article for PBS NewsHour. "Because they are so efficient at keeping a comfortable temperature in the sea, they can overheat and die on land," she wrote. She added that "out of the water, their sheer weight begins to crush their organs."

NOAA Fisheries lists hyperthermia, skin blistering, and muscle damage among the harms a stranded whale can suffer, and notes that lungs can collapse without the support of water. Damage done during hours on the sand can be fatal even after an animal swims away.

Re-stranding is common for another reason. A weak or disoriented animal may not be able to stay offshore, and social species often try to rejoin their group. "If you tow a single animal back out to sea, it may try to get back to its family and friends or remain disorientated and strand once again," Pirotta wrote.

A Protected, Little-Seen Dolphin

Despite the name, false killer whales are large dolphins. Females grow up to about 16 feet (4.9 meters) and males nearly 20 feet (6 meters), according to NOAA Fisheries. They live in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide, usually far offshore, and form strong social bonds that can lead to group strandings.

The species is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. In the United States, a population living around the main Hawaiian Islands was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 2012. In Sarawak, all whales and dolphins are protected under the state's Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998.

SFC urged the public not to handle any stranded, injured, or dead wildlife and to report sightings to the SFC hotline or the nearest regional office instead. The same advice applies in the United States. NOAA asks people to stay at least 50 yards (150 feet) back from a stranded marine mammal, keep pets away, and contact the local stranding network. Trained responders can keep an animal's skin wet and shaded while avoiding its blowhole.

The samples collected at Pueh Beach may help scientists learn more about the false killer whales that pass through Sarawak's waters. For now, the death is a reminder that a rescue is only the first step, and that a stranded animal's fate often depends on what happened to it before it reached the shore.

What Readers Want to Know

What happened at Pueh Beach? A false killer whale was returned to the sea after stranding at Pueh Beach in Sematan, Sarawak. It stranded again on the morning of Oct. 3 and died that afternoon.

What killed the whale? The Sarawak Forestry Corporation said the necropsy suggests complications from stranding, including possible circulatory failure caused by heat stress. The cause has not been confirmed.

Why do stranded whales overheat? Their blubber keeps them warm in the ocean, where water carries heat away. On land, they cannot cool down, and their weight can damage organs and muscles.

Why do rescued whales strand again? A sick, weak, or disoriented animal may not be able to stay offshore, and social species often try to return to their group.

Is the false killer whale endangered? It is listed as Near Threatened globally. A population around Hawaii is listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

What should I do if I find a stranded whale or dolphin? Keep your distance, keep pets away and contact wildlife authorities. In Sarawak, call the SFC hotline. In the U.S., contact NOAA's regional stranding network.