PO'IPU, Kaua'i — A sick killer whale was euthanized by federal wildlife officials at about noon yesterday after it washed ashore early in the morning at Brennecke's Beach.

The 18-foot-long female was emaciated and had cookie-cutter shark bites and whale lice, all signs that it had been sick for some time, said Wende Goo, spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The animal was given two rounds of sedatives before it received a euthanasia shot at about noon, Goo said. A Hawaiian cultural practitioner conducted rites for the animal before it was euthanized, she said.

Scientists will perform a necropsy to attempt to determine its cause of death. That procedure will be done at an undisclosed location on Kaua'i, Goo said.

Killer, or orca, whales are the most common marine mammal in the world, living from the poles to the equator, said Jayne LeFors, a NOAA biologist.

The whale found beached on Kaua'i is believed to be a member of a group of about 250 killer whales that inhabit Hawai'i waters year-round.

It is uncommon to see them near shore, unless there is a problem.

There was no outward sign of trauma to the whale; the cookie-cutter shark bites on it were healed.

John Boulay, a manager at Brennecke's Beach Broiler, said he came to work at 6:30 a.m. and saw what he called "a 14-foot-long orca" washed up on the beach.

"It was all scratched up, from the coral," he said.

People were trying to push the killer whale back into the ocean, but it kept washing back, Boulay said.

Dwayne Akau said the killer whale still appeared to be alive when he was at the beach at 10 a.m. He said hundreds of people gathered at the beach, including many state and federal wildlife officials, firefighters and lifeguards.

A portion of Ho'one Road was closed from 9:30 a.m. to noon so officials could deal with the whale, Kaua'i County spokeswoman Mary Daubert said.

Brennecke's Beach remained closed for the rest of the day as a precaution, Daubert said, adding that ocean safety officials monitored the area for sharks, but did not report any.