Crews to Tow Carcass of Wally the Humpback Whale Out to Sea

Playa Del Rey, CA - - Authorities tonight towed the carcass of Wally, a humpback whale that washed ashore at Dockweiler State Beach, out to sea.

The dead whale came ashore about 8 p.m. Thursday, according to the Lifeguard Division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The whale remained on the shoreline overnight, and the curious public was warned away by yellow police tape.
Authorities waited until high tide -- just after 7:30 p.m. -- to haul the whale out to sea.

The approximately 45-foot-long sea mammal was identified by experts as a whale named Wally that first appeared off Southern California in 2015 and appeared in a couple of viral videos.

“It’s starting to smell … and decompose pretty rapidly,” Los Angeles County Lifeguard Capt. Ken Haskett told the Los Angeles Times.

Authorities planned to use a bulldozer to nudge the carcass from the sand into the water, where boats towed it several miles out to sea.

City News Service; Photo: Los Angeles County Fire Department, Lifeguard Division