Necropsy to be performed on dead whale in Rye Wednesday
Crowds create unsafe conditions, police say
A plan has been developed to remove the body of a 40-ton humpback whale from a beach in Rye.
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Thousands of people have flocked to see the remains of the endangered animal after it washed onshore Monday.
At the same time, the crowds are creating a traffic headache for neighbors.
"This is beyond belief. There's been literally thousands," local man Bob O'Brien said.
O'Brien had to put up a barrier in front of his house to stop drivers from blocking him out.
He said he couldn't even get into his driveway: "I had to wait a half an hour. The woman in the car left, and (I) politely said to her, next time please don't block a driveway."
O'Brien is taking it in stride, but police are concerned.
"They're parking half in the roadway. They're parking in no-parking zones. And they're creating a hazardous condition by the way they're parking," Rye Police Chief Kevin Walsh said.
Officers have written at least 100 tickets, each with a $30 fine.
"Well, there needs to be a consequence when you just stop your car, put in in park and get out," Walsh said.
Walsh said it's OK to look, but people need to park legally on Ocean Boulevard.
On Wednesday, viewing areas will be roped off as about 20 people from the New England Aquarium will perform a necropsy on the dead whale.
Tony LaCasse, a spokesperson for the New England Aquarium, said, "A lot of the internal tissue has actually deteriorated significantly. But we're really gonna make a strong effort to see if we can get at least a glimpse as to what might have caused the demise of what is really a young adult female."
The remains will be trucked away and disposed of.
Related: Some upset after Rye police ticket cars parked illegally to see whale
The goal is to clear the area by the Fourth of July weekend.
The 18-year-old female humpback whale was identified as Snow Plow, based on the markings on its tail fluke. Volunteers from marine mammal rescue at the Seacoast Science Center kept crowds back, but also took the opportunity to answer questions.
Visitors said they were there for what many called a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Lee Holden-Mount, of Durham, brought her four children.
"Just to bring them down to see the size, and the importance of protecting endangered animals, and just the whole process," she said.
Officials said they were glad that Tuesday was a cooler, overcast day.
"It is going to become a potential to be a hazard," said Fish and Game Lt. Michael Eastman said. "It's going to start to be a big, rotting carcass pretty shortly."
State and federal agencies, along with the Seacoast Science Center and New England Aquarium on site, worked out the complicated logistics of performing a necropsy to see how the whale died before it's removed.
"It's an 18-year-old animal, 45 feet," said Connie Merigo of the New England Aquarium. "She should still have a few decades left to her life, so the fact that she's dead at that age is a little bit concerning."
The process could take 10 hours. Merigo said the public should be prepared for what they might see and smell.
"We are going to open it up, so it will be splayed open, and we'll be removing, looking at organs one-by-one," she said.
Police are bracing for more visitors and said they will be prepared to tow cars on Wednesday.
"I just want people to be safe. And they're creating an unsafe condition," Chief Walsh said.
Because the whale ended up below the high-tide mark, it is technically on state property. The cost of the personnel and equipment necessary to clear the area has not yet been determined.