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Collision with a ship killed massive whale, researchers say
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The corpse of a large Blue whale reported to be floating in local waters for several days washes up at a local beach.Watch now »
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More from County NewsThe massive blue whale that washed ashore in Ventura County Thursday died from a collision with a ship, officials said.
Marine wildlife scientists conducting a necropsy of the leviathan found a 15-foot bruise on the animal's back side, said Easter Moorman, a spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
As scientists took blubber, skin, blood and other samples, they also found extensive damage to the whale's bones, Moorman said Saturday. Museum officials hoped to preserve the whale's skeleton for later display, but with many bones damaged by the "ship strike," they now plan to save only the skull, Moorman said.
The whale washed ashore a few yards east of Hobson County Park, a nearby campground.
On Saturday, teams lassoed the animal and towed it about two miles down the Santa Barbara Channel, just west of Faria Beach.
There they parked the putrid carcass on the beach, where scientists completed tests, hacked into sections and used heavy equipment to bury the pieces.
The work is expected to continue today.
The whale is 72 feet long and estimated to weigh 140,000 pounds, Moorman said.
A chance to view the world's largest mammal — which travels through the channel this time of year on its annual summer migration north from Mexico — brought nearly 300 people to the beach Saturday, authorities said.
After some observers trespassed into a nearby campground, Ventura County Sheriff's deputies arrived to handle crowd control, Sheriff's Department Capt. Monica McGrath said.
Police handed out parking tickets, but there were no arrests, she said.
Traffic on southbound Highway 101, however, slowed as looky-loos grabbed a peek at the great blue whale.
"It's like a day at the park," said Pam Gallo, operations supervisor for the Ventura County Parks Department. "Everybody's having a good day at the beach. They're in awe at the sheer immensity of this animal."
Posted by angrygirl8284 on September 16, 2007 at 10:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Poor guy :(
Posted by RC on September 19, 2007 at 1:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
is the city going to bill the ships owner for sending the police to do crowd control?
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