Photo: KATU
A humpback whale that washed up alive on the Oregon Coast south of Yachats was euthanized Monday afternoon.
When the one- to two-year-old whale was found in the surf over the weekend, people tried to get it back into the ocean. The whale was tangled in crabbing gear.
They tried to dig a channel in the sand, but the whale was too heavy.
The Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University said it was too dangerous for the whale to be pulled into the ocean. The decided to euthanize the whale.
A necropsy will be performed to possible determine if the whale was sick.