Wally Was Finally Washed Ashore

Wally whale was washed ashore.

(Mirror Daily, United States) – The humpback whale Wally was removed by authorities Monday from Grandview Beach in Encinitas after two days since the humpback was washed ashore.

According to Larry Giles, Encinitas Marine Safety Captain, the animal was cut, and its pieces were removed from the beach. Giles stated that the animal was decomposing, so the beach was filled with oil residue.

When a whale is washed off on the shores of a beach, it is usually closed by authorities until the rotten whale is removed and the beach plus the waters are cleaned.

Wally was removed by a local contractor hired by lifeguards. Authorities had to take active measures to solve the problem because the area where the humpback was washed ashore is usually very populated.

Lifeguards first noticed Wally’s floating carcass on June 30 at Dockweiler State Beach in Los Angeles County. Authorities and lifeguards have repeatedly tried to send the whale as far as possible from the shores, but winds and currents carried in back every time in different areas close to San Clemente, Dana Point, and Newport Beach.

Based on the reports the carcass was 45-foot-long and weighed 22 tons. Wally was tagged a while ago by marine biologists, and it was actually a 15-year-old female who was mistakenly thought to be a male.

High tides carried the dead humpback toward Ponto Beach Saturday night, according to lifeguards. The carcass was cut using chainsaws, and a large knife. The crew used construction-size trash bins to pile up the large pieces and transport them to the Miramar landfill.

Gils stressed that a humpback whale carcass is a rare sight on a beach so removing it is a very challenging process. After consulting with his team, Gils came to the conclusion that the whale must be transported to a landfill.

Towing it back into the sea was dangerous because the whale was massive and it could have contaminated the water. Also, sharks would have most likely been attracted to the carcass. When lifeguards tried to make sure that the whale remained away from the shore, they hoped that it would decompose faster without representing a danger.

But it would have been a very hard job to clean the waters around the beach if Wally’s carcass had broken up in the water.

Image Source:Solar Navigator

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John Birks

John holds a diploma in journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He covers the technology, social media, green business, eco-travel, politics, arts culture.