Young beached whale on Oregon Coast euthanized after rescue efforts fail

A beached whale on the Oregon Coast, around 1 to 2 years old, unfortunately did not survive, KATU 2 reported Monday.

The young female humpback was stranded near San Marine State Park after it was caught in a fishing net that was tangled around its fins and mouth, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. Despite community rescue efforts, the whale had to be euthanized.

Volunteers did their best to keep the animal alive over the weekend until high tide arrived, with many taking to social media to post updates on the animal’s progress.

Volunteers try to save beached whale

On Saturday night, witnesses untangled the whale, but it was still stuck, according to KGW8. Volunteers dug trenches to keep the animal in the water, and even tried to use a bridle to pull the whale toward the tide, but it slipped off.

“Trying to get a 6,000-pound animal off of the beach is quite an undertaking,” Jane Holbrook, spokesperson for the Oregon Marine Stranding Network, told KGW8.

The community watched as the high tide eventually rolled in, hoping the animal would free itself, but it did not. Around 3 p.m. Monday, the animal was euthanized.

“When a whale comes ashore, it’s usually a carcass of a deceased whale, but it’s a whole bigger deal when it’s a live one because we all care so deeply,” Holbrook told KGW8.

The marine center will perform a necropsy to determine more about how the whale became beached, according to the media outlet.

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