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Dead whale ‘too big’ and ‘awkward’ to move from beach

Yachats Beached Whale
  • A 50-foot, 52-ton sperm whale washed ashore on Nantucket this week, marking the island's first stranding of its species in over two decades.
  • The whale is considered too large and heavy to be removed from the beach, making traditional disposal methods unfeasible.
  • Nantucket officials and the Marine Mammal Alliance are coordinating plans to tow the whale offshore, ideally before Thanksgiving.
  • Despite population recovery since the 1980s whaling moratorium, sperm whales remain an endangered species.
  • The public is permitted to view the whale from a distance of 300 feet, with experts scheduled to conduct an on-site examination.
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