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A whale in “poor condition” was found stranded in a pond in Rhode Island on Thursday, officials said.
Rescuers with Mystic Aquarium and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) responded Thursday morning to Potter Pond in South Kingstown, R.I. for reports of a stranded whale, Meagan Seacor, a spokesperson for Mystic Aquarium, told Boston.com.
The animal, a 42-foot fin whale, was “emaciated and in a compromised state,” Seacor said.
“After evaluation by our veterinary team and consultation with NOAA and other network partners with large whale expertise, the decision was made to see if the animal would refloat and navigate out of the area with high tide,” Seacor added.
However, the animal was not able to leave the pond on Thursday.
“With welfare as our top priority and considering the poor condition and low likelihood of survival for this compromised animal, the decision was made to use medical intervention to make this whale more comfortable and mitigate prolonged suffering,” Seacor said.
The whale is still alive and shows “no signs of obvious injury” like a vessel strike or entanglement in fishing gear, according to DEM. Despite this, DEM confirmed the whale is in “poor condition.”
DEM said that if the whale was unable to navigate out of the lake on Thursday, “the team [would] evaluate additional options.”
Sarah Callan, a manager of the animal rescue program at Mystic Aquarium, told WJAR that additional options could include euthanasia if the whale is in poor health and compromised. Callan told the news station that it’s “unusual” for animals to become stranded and that it sometimes happens when they are having health problems.
DEM asked the public to keep an “appropriate distance” from the whale.
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The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 28, 2025, results for each game:
12-17-25-34-42, Lucky Ball: 09
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Midday: 5-2-7-6
Evening: 9-5-9-8
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
01-13-20-24-34, Extra: 16
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Claudia Wack talks about what housing will look like in 25 years
Neighbors Welcome! RI President Claudia Wack predicts what the housing landscape will look like in 25 years in Rhode Island.
Predicting the future isn’t easy. Back in 2000, who would have thought that by 2025 the Pawtucket Red Sox would no longer exist, or Rhode Island’s first female governor would be telling people to “knock it off” as a pandemic shut down the state?
Now, as we embark on the second quarter of the 21st century, what could Rhode Island look like in 2050? The staff at The Providence Journal asked leaders in their field for their thoughts on what Rhode Island will look like in 2050. Here’s what they had to say.
Name: Claudia Wack
Hometown: Providence
Title: President, Neighbors Welcome! RI, a housing advocacy group
What will Rhode Island look like in 2050?
“My optimistic vision is I think Rhode Island will actually do a good job, eventually over the next 25 years, of getting back to our roots and really allowing more housing and more vibrant walkable neighborhoods in village centers and city centers,” she said.
“I think we will actually infill some of the city and village centers that maybe people don’t realize the extent to which some of these areas have actually been depopulated compared to what they used to be. You know, the city of Providence has a smaller population now than it did historically.”
“There’s neighborhoods that, when you think about zoning, you couldn’t replicate today under modern zoning,” she continued. “And so to some extent, I think the 2050 vision that is possible is actually a return to our roots in some ways of allowing that infill in central areas.”
On a slightly more “pessimistic note,” Wack said that she anticipates the state having to grapple with a “managed retreat” in coastal areas that will be affected by sea level rise, erosion and increased hurricane risks.
“I think we will see less housing being built in certain coastal areas, if only because it’s going to be harder and harder to insure housing in those areas,” she said. “I think in certain communities we will see shifts in where housing is being built and seeing housing production sort of migrate away from at-risk areas and toward areas where it’s going to be more sustainable.”
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 27, 2025, results for each game:
05-20-34-39-62, Powerball: 01, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
08-12-24-26-42, Lucky Ball: 17
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Midday: 7-3-5-6
Evening: 2-1-4-9
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
11-14-18-19-27, Extra: 17
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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