Rare fin whale carcass becomes a coastal classroom in Oregon
On Monday, February 12, a 46-foot male whale entangled in ropes washed ashore at Sunset Beach State Park in Oregon, south of Warrenton.
8:12 AM EST, February 16, 2024
According to Tiffany Boothe, assistant manager of the Seaside Aquarium, quoted by Fox News, The ropes were not the cause of the animal's death, and finding the cause of its death will take at least several weeks. Officials wanted to investigate what type of fishing equipment the animal was entangled in. Still, someone beat them to it when they arrived to take it away.
"It was a well-meaning person, because the animal was still in the surf and appeared to be alive. And so they thought they were helping to detangle a live animal.", Boothe said, describing the disappearance of the ropes from the whale's body.
Boothe also admitted that it was decided to leave the whale's body and allow it to decompose naturally. The argument for this idea is to be a "huge nutrient boost for the local environment", which will provide food for many other species living near the beach, including eagles.
In addition, the decomposing whale carcass on the beach also has a scientific character, allowing ordinary residents and tourists to admire the anatomy of this animal.
Sources: Fox News
