Beached whale dies in Seaside, Ore.

08/11/03 | KGW Staff

[bedolido]

SEASIDE, Ore. - A huge whale died after beaching up near Seaside, Ore., over the weekend.

When the mammal beached up Sunday during a volleyball tournament, it was alive, and beachgoers tried to push it back into the water. But police stopped them, fearing that someone would be injured by the thrashing animal.

Police arrested three people who refused to move away from the huge whale.

Marine mammal experts believe the whale likely overheated from the sun beating down on its dark skin.

The 33-foot-long mammal was set to be removed from the beach Monday morning and taken to another location for a necropsy.

A large crane towed the dead whale to shore. (KGW Photo) A Portland State University marine biologist will lead the research on the Baird's beaked whale. A large crane was brought in to move the whale closer to shore so experts could safely perform tests Sunday Baird's beaked whales are found in the north Pacific Ocean and typically spend summers close to shore. The species is most commonly seen around Japan, central California and off Vancouver Island in Canada

[bedolido]

[camle]

you mean they didn't blow it up? That's their usual MO, ain't it?

[snippy_about_it]

ruh-roh!

Okay, roll tape.!

[camle]

You asked fer it:-)

[Semper Paratus]

What did they expect it to do?

[camle]

see #4. follow the link.

[theDentist]

There is no whale of a problem that cannot be resolved with the proper placement of high explosives.

[Hatteras]

Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?!

[bedolido]

I was living in Portland when they blew up the other whale... It's blow'd up real guuud!!!

[mhking]

You can't talk about beached whales in Oregon without talking about the exploding whale!

Just damn.

If you want on the new list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[bedolido]

thanks... I love it!

[King Prout]

I see that, and I think of "Tremors" for some reason

[snippy_about_it]

The first time I saw this (thanks to my friend SAMWolf and to Darksheare), I could hardly believe my eyes. So funny!

Who would even think that someone would imagine this could be done safely and with minimal clean-up!

Thanks camle, you knew just what I was talking about! LOL!

[Bikers4Bush]

Now I'm left to decide if that fact that I was amused by that (the movie) makes me a bad person.

[camle]

it's a classic! I was scanning the local paper oen day several years back when i espied this article. been a Dave Barry fan ever since.

[petuniasevan]

beachgoers tried to push it back into the water. But police stopped them, fearing that someone would be injured by the thrashing animal

Some people are so stupid. The cops were right to clear those persons away from the whale, by arrest if necessary. Cheaper than the rescue and subsequent emergency room bill (or undertaker's fees) that would result if the whale flipped its tail and just *nudged* someone.

Trying to PUSH the whale back into the water? What were those people thinking, anyway? At 33 feet long the whale probably weighed in around 8 TONS.

[blackdog]

Let any cop get in the way of my attempt at doing what I think is the right thing to do as a human being and he'll have to be one big-badass cop or be willing to shoot me.

What, do we have municipal union only beached whale contractors now?

They pulled that crap on me when I lived in Florida. We were helping an inured turltle(huge) which had been hit by a propeller into a kiddie pool until the local university marine biologists could get there, who we had called. The local cops tried to remove us from the beach. As our voices and posture grew and were drawing additional public support, the cops sat in their cars quietly until the university rehab gang showed.

They would have shot it and celebrated with all the weed they get washed up on the beaches.

With all the dead whale problems Oregon seems to have, might I suggest those farmers in the midwest who make those pumpkin catapaults sketch out some plans for an Orca Orbiter? It would be way cool to launch twenty ton whales back out past the breakwater if they wash up dead.

[SAMWolf]

Darn beat me to it!

[blackdog]

That whale detonation was the light bulb for Saddam's prefered method of cleaning up live, breathing political problems in Iraq.

[slouper]

Am I the only one thinking bar-b-que on the beach?

[WKB]

This is why I quit going to the beach. The last time I woke up to 4 Petas trying to push me back in the water.

[hchutch]

Hilarious movie... I loved Burt - wish I had a "rec room" like he did. :)

[wideminded]

When the mammal beached up Sunday during a volleyball tournament, it was alive, and beachgoers tried to push it back into the water. But police stopped them, fearing that someone would be injured by the thrashing animal.

Police arrested three people who refused to move away from the huge whale.

The government protecting people from themselves.

Note to self: If this ever happens, spray water on the whale.

[King Prout]

the series ain't bad.

[yankeedame]

I was living in Portland when they blew up the other whale... It's blow'd up real guuud!!!

Eeeuuuuuu!! Gross!! The whale goes **BOOMM!!!** and for the next few minutes the sky is raining zillions of nasty, blubbery chuncks of goop falling out of the sky like over sized custard pies...splat, splat, splat...landing on sidewalks, cars, electrical wires, people. And an hour later, thanks to the sun beating down, the whole place starts smelling like the underside of the last step of the back stairs of a fish cannery...at low tide.

Yuck!

Boy, I'm glad I live in Ohio!

[Darksheare]

It's not my fault!
They didn't use enough explosives!

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks anyway SAM, I had no idea so many folks would have that clip or even know about it. LOL!

[snippy_about_it]

LOL! I know you would have used way more. ;)

[SGCOS]

...The whale goes **BOOMM!!!**and for the next few minutes the sky is raining zillions of nasty, blubbery chuncks of goop falling out of the sky like over sized custard pies...splat, splat, splat...landing on sidewalks, cars, electrical wires, people. And an hour later, thanks to the sun beating down, the whole place starts smelling like the underside of the last step of the back stairs of a fish cannery...at low tide.

I think you are confusing the whale with the last time Ted Kennedy was constipated.

[Darksheare]

Well, that and packing the sand down on the one side, and varying the amount from nose to tail.
I also would've put some on BOTH sides of it!
*Nyeh-HAH-hah-hah-ha-haaaa!*

[Mark]

Poor Hillary!

[metesky]

A huge whale...

The 33-foot-long mammal

When did a 33 footer get to be a huge whale?

Obviously the reporter has never been to sea in his life. Get out to the Dumping Grounds south of Nantucket in the middle of a pod of Humpbacks and you'll know what huge is (and fear if you're in a 26' open boat).

Years ago a whale beaching was cause for joy as everyone in town trooped down to the beach with the sharpest knives they could lay hands on.

Meat, blubber, oil, and with the right species, valuable ambergris, teeth for scrimshaw.

Now the gub'mint claims to own whatever washes up and the lunatic enviros and "scientists" claim that by examining the carcass they can tell why a live animal beached.

What a lot of hoo-ha.

[Republicus2001]

Helen Thomas?

[MD_Willington_1976]

...I have eaten seal meat but never whale meat...

[SAMWolf]

LOL!

[atomic conspiracy]

Beached whale dies...

I thought for a second that one of those nude peace demonstrations had resulted in tragedy.

[cherry_bomb88]

FBD.....I thought you told the ex she couldn't surf on the same beaches as you!!!! LOL (kidding)

[thegreatbeast]

"Police arrested three people who refused to move away from the huge whale."
Put me down with the cops-don't-run the-world crowd. What authority do cops have over beached whales? What authority do the authorities have over beached whales. Frig you, I'm a free man and I don't take orders from every primate who can be taught to tie his shoes.
(Not to offend the majority of fine police, just those that think they do, and must, control every situation).

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Police arrested three people who refused to move away from the huge whale.

PING! (They were singing and crying, no doubt. I hope the cops let them grab their Birkies off the beach before hauling them in...)

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

If someone gets hurt and sues the city, you'll happily pay your share of the settlement, I take it?

[Chad Fairbanks]

Mmmmm... Forbidden Whale Meat...

Now, if someone would have killed a cow, too, I'd have said "Surf and Turf!"

[Chad Fairbanks]

...I have eaten seal meat but never whale meat...

Mmmm... you don't know what you are missing. Seal is good, Whale is better

[oceanperch]

They learned that was a mess the first time.

Last I heard the truck got stuck leaving I will have to get an update.

[oceanperch]

Dog rolling heaven that was.

[July 4th]

"More for me!"

[thegreatbeast]

The ravages of a dead whale, a beached whale? Yes, I'll risk it.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

No, no - it was alive for a while:

When the mammal beached up Sunday during a volleyball tournament, it was alive, and beachgoers tried to push it back into the water. But police stopped them, fearing that someone would be injured by the thrashing animal.

A few years ago, a girlfriend and I were down there and there was a dead - really DEAD (picked over by seagulls) - beached whale, and we walked right up to it. No one stopped us and denied us our constitutional right to check out a dead whale. : )

[MD_Willington_1976]

Are you serious about the whale meat? I have eaten all kinds of critters from North America and from the Pacific ocean...

[Chad Fairbanks]

Oh yeah - good stuff... finally got to try whale meat a few years back when the Makah had their "Catch of the Day" ;0)

[oceanperch]

I remember that. The big stink that the enviros made of how it would lead to extinction.

Did the tribe do a hunt this year?

I bet the youngin' history lesson will be one whale enough in a life time exp.

Thanks for the history lesson Soaring Eagle but I think I will opt for the Playstation version.