35-Ft. Humpback Whale Washes Up on New York Beach: 'This Is a Sad Day'

An adult male humpback whale washed up on Lido Beach Sunday night and was found dead by emergency service workers on Monday morning

Published on January 31, 2023 01:42 PM

A 35-foot-long humpback whale washed up on Lido Beach in New York on Sunday night and was found dead by rescue crews Monday morning.

According to SWNS, shortly after the dead male whale was found, emergency service workers used machinery to pull the whale's body away from the high tide line, cordoned off the carcass, and prepared the dead animal for a necropsy.

"This is a sad day down on the South Shore, this is something you don't want to see," Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin told News 12 about the grim discovery, adding that this is the area's first whale beaching in four years.

People look on as emergency crews try to determine how to handle the carcass of a humpback whale that washed up on shore in Lido Beach, New York, USA, 30 January 2023. There have been seven whale deaths in the last few weeks on the beaches of New York and neighboring New Jersey. Beached Whale on Long Island, Lido Beach, USA - 30 Jan 2023 — JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Marine biologists conducted the necropsy and will use the information gathered from the procedure to determine the humpback whale's cause of death. After the necropsy, the animal was buried at the beach, per SWNS.

"Sad to see this beautiful mammal and imagine the pain it went through until it washed ashore," Lido Beach local Nick Perrotta told the outlet about the whale.

In a picture taken with a drone, emergency crews try to determine how to handle the carcass of a humpback whale that washed up on shore in Lido Beach, New York, USA, 30 January 2023. There have been seven whale deaths in the last few weeks on the beaches of New York and neighboring New Jersey. Beached Whale on Long Island, Lido Beach, USA - 30 Jan 2023 — JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Officials are especially eager to see the results of the humpback's necropsy as at least ten whales have beached on shores in New York and New Jersey since December. According to WABC, one of the whales died due to a vessel strike, but the cause of death for many of the remaining whales is still unknown.