Officials in New Jersey are open to any suggestions on how to move a frozen 15-ton marine mammal from their beach. Authorities and marine mammal rescuers are trying to figure out the best way to move a 31-foot male humpback whale that washed ashore near the inlet in Barnegat Light on Christmas day.
Officials say the cause of death was unknown, but there were no obvious physical signs of injury on the parts of it that are visible. Because the animal has been exposed to freezing temperatures for an extended period, it cannot be cut up and removed piecemeal, which is the usual way large whales are disposed of in similar situations.
Now, there are two front-end loaders on the beach that will be used to try to remove the whale in one piece to an offsite location so they can try to figure out what happened to the mammal.