Officials are struggling to remove a 15-ton whale that washed up on a New Jersey Shore after cold weather froze the stranded whale solid.
The humpback whale, which washed up on New Jersey’s Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, has been stranded since Christmas eve as officials are attempting to figure out how to remove the whale, according to the Miami Herald.
Because the whale’s carcass had been exposed to cold temperatures, the whale was “frozen solid,” as reported by the Herald. The whale was so frozen, that it was nearly impossible to cut the whale apart and search for clues as to why it died.
Authorities say the carcass of a dead humpback whale washed ashore at a New Jersey beach on Christmas after a storm. https://t.co/zo2Tn0lSf1
— Fox5NY (@fox5ny) December 28, 2020
“There’s not much we can do.” Bob Schoelkopf, the co-director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, told the Herald regarding the whale.
Tourists have been traveling to the area to take a look at the large whale as it was laying on the beach, the Herald reported. (RELATED: ‘Tiger King’ Star Carole Baskin In Talks For Own ‘TV Show’ Series And ‘Memoirs’)
As of Monday afternoon, according to the Herald, the whale had been buried with sand by using bulldozers to cover the carcass as the team looked for locations for the body to be thawed.
Schoelkopf also warned residents, according to the Herald, that the whale could be diseased and that residents should stay clear of it.
Recently, another humpback whale was spotted in the Hudson River of New York City, which was reportedly due to the amount of food available in the area.