There have been six cases of dead whales being washed up on a Bay Area beach, according to CBS Local.
Another gray whale carcass that was not yet fully grown has reportedly been washed up onto the shore in Half Moon Bay earlier last week.
The cause of death is unknown, according to the website Press Democrat. The Marine Mammal Center reportedly took a tissue sample in an attempt to determine the cause of death, but it still remains unknown.
“Generally we leave dead and sick animals where they are and let nature take its course,” stated California State Parks Ranger Damien Jones.
Jones reportedly stated that the State Parks did not plan to remove the whale from the beach, and that he expects the tide to carry the whale out to sea again.
“Generally we leave dead and sick animals where they are and let nature take its course,” stated Jones.
The whales aren’t always left in nature after their deaths. Officials in Pacifica reportedly decided to bury the decomposing bodies of two whales due to complaints over the smell.
The cause for the series of dead whales being washed up on Northern California beaches over the past five weeks has remained a mystery, but there is speculation that it has been due to the migration season. May is reportedly the end of the gray whale migration from their breeding and birthing lagoons in Mexico back to their feeding ground in Alaska.
Thousands of whales are reportedly seen making the 5,000-mile journey.
Miyoko Sakashita, oceans program director for the Center for Biological Diversity, stated that more efforts are needed to keep whales safe, according to the LA Times.
“We need to do more to protect whales along the California coast before more of them show up dead on the beach,” stated Sakashita.
“The latest whale to wash up in Pacifica showed signs of being struck by a ship and the last dead killer whale was tangled in fishing gear, two problems that should be addressed with better regulations.”
