PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A beached whale in Yachats, Oregon, could be euthanized Monday after recent rescue efforts failed.
As of Monday morning, the whale is still alive, but according to Lisa Ballance with the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University, the most recent efforts at high tide failed, meaning the next step will be euthanasia.
The best chance to rescue the whale was at high tide, which happened at around 10 a.m., and Ballance said that the next high tide won’t be until later today, meaning euthanasia might be “the most humane thing.”
“Next high tide isn’t until later this evening, and the idea is the most humane thing to do is euthanize the animal,” Ballance said.
However, who gets to decide if that is the next step is a much tougher question to answer.
“It’s been a very rapidly evolving, somewhat chaotic situation, even though everyone on that beach really wants the same thing. Marine mammals are protected in the United States by the Marine Mammals Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, and there are legal restrictions about which authorities are allowed to do what and which authorities are allowed to make certain calls.”
The beached whale was first discovered Saturday night shortly after 6 p.m.
There are currently conflicting thoughts on how the whale ended up on the beach.
John Calambokidis, a research biologist with Cascadia Research, said that the whale came ashore because it was entangled in fishing gear.
However, Ballance said that was an unlikely cause and they won’t know for sure until after performing a necropsy.