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Live Humpback Beached on Oregon Coast Prompts Volunteer Response; Police Urge People to Stay Back
A juvenile humpback whale tangled in fishing gear stranded near Yachats, prompting volunteers to assist while police urged caution and cleared hazardous vehicles.
- On Sunday, a live humpback whale was found beached near San Marine just outside Yachats and remained alive into the morning, while posts on Facebook and Reddit drew people from around Oregon to the shoreline for an impromptu rescue effort.
- Entanglement in fishing gear led to the stranding, and NOAA Fisheries and the West Coast Large Whale Entanglement Response Program mobilized after witnesses reported the whale.
- Volunteers worked through the night, digging trenches and using a bucket brigade to keep the whale wet while a bystander cut crab line and Oregon State Police cleared vehicles from U.S. Highway 101.
- NOAA's Michael Milstein urged caution, stating `We are assessing the situation with trained and authorized responders`; slim survival odds and necropsy noted for first light at 9:36 a.m.
- Live strandings are rare on the Oregon Coast, and this event coincided with the Exploding Whale Memorial, which is significant ecologically as a whale fall if it dies, and towing an adult male humpback weighing up to 80,000 pounds is impractical, officials said.
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Total News Sources24
Leaning Left2Leaning Right1Center16Last UpdatedBias Distribution84% Center
Bias Distribution
- 84% of the sources are Center
84% Center
11%
C 84%
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