Watch CBS News

Residents Complain After Rotting Whale Stinks Up Malibu Beach

MALIBU (CBSLA.com) — Authorities Thursday are determining how to dispose of a dead 20-ton whale that washed up on a Malibu beach earlier this week.

The 41-foot male fin whale washed up Monday between Paradise Cove and Point Dume, officials said.

Marine experts with the California Wildlife Center determined the whale, which had injuries to its back and vertebrate, died after possibly being hit by a ship.

While dead whales are typically towed about 10 miles out to sea shortly after washing ashore, authorities have yet to decide which agency is responsible for the disposal - and the delay is causing some residents to complain.

Tamara Dunn, who lives right next to Paradise Cove, told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO that the whale's guts are now visible along the beach and the carcass appears to be rotting.

Podcast

Malibu Whale

"I don't know how they're gonna get him out. They talked about taking him out in pieces because he's so big, the Coast Guard can't drag him back out to sea," said Dunn. "He's pretty funky now."

Transportation crews in 1970 used explosives to detonate a beached grey whale near Portland, Ore., but a similar strategy is unlikely to be approved by state wildlife officials, who will likely end up removing the whale.

Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors spokeswoman Carol Baker told the Associated Press the agency was not responsible for disposing of the more than 40-foot-long carcass and that the area is a "private beach."

The homes of Barbra Streisand and Bob Dylan are among those near where the whale washed ashore on Monday, according to the Associated Press.

However officials decide to proceed, Dunn said the time for debate has clearly passed.

"I think they should get over the bureaucracy and get into the moment that this animal is providing," she said.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.