Officials on the Oregon Coast famously blew up a beached whale carcass with dynamite in 1970.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — No, authorities in Oregon are certainly not blowing up a beached whale carcass with dynamite — again — like officials near the coastal town of Florence decided to do in 1970.
Why would anyone need to dispel such a hair-brain scheme? Well apparently, rumors have been swirling that a repeat of history might take place, once again sending chunks of blubber hurtling through the air, according to Oregon State Parks, who says, “It isn’t happening.”
According to a Facebook post by OSP, the false claim that they were planning on blowing up the deceased humpback whale — which has been on a North Coast beach since it washed ashore in late May — has been “making the rounds” on the social media site.
According to officials, the natural decomposition and necropsy that was performed “has left nothing but an unrecognizable blob and a horrible stench.”
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The deal humpback whaled washed ashore near the north Nehalem Jetty. (Oregon State Parks) -
Research team conducts a necropsy on young humpback whale on the Oregon Coast on May 30, 2024. (Courtesy: NOAA Fisheries) -
Several days after a whale washed up on a the North Coast of Oregon in late May, the deceased humpback is now barely recognizable due to decomposition and a necropsy. June 5, 2024 (courtesy Oregon State Parks).
They are urging people to avoid the area at all costs. What’s more, the section of the beach where the whale corpse is located is also a snowy plover management area. Should hordes of people attempt to visit the beached whale, they could cause “the nests to fail,” officials said.
“No one wants this to happen. Don’t go there.”
To satiate the public’s intense curiosity, which was on display when the whale first washed ashore last week when it drew crowds of people, OSP shared an updated photo of the deceased animal from several days ago, now barely recognizable.
The original exploding whale incident that happened decades ago in Oregon is now so famous there’s a memorial park in its honor on the Siuslaw River near where it happened.
Danny Peterson
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