Veterinarians suspect erysipelas, a bacterial disease, in the deaths of hundreds of southern right whale calves in Argentina’s Patagonia. Dozens of dead calves washed ashore in Chubut this week, continuing a trend since June; Coscarella said human activity cannot be ruled out.
Chubut’s provincial government said it was working with scientists to investigate the deaths; preliminary research suggested a “common marine bacteria” caused them. Researcher Mariano Coscarella said the deaths do not pose a medium-term danger to the whale population, whose average lifespan local authorities put at 60 years.
Authorities counted 1,375 whales in the area this year, including nearly 400 calves, Coscarella said. In 2025, a record 2,110 whales were counted, including 800 young.
