Numerous people flocked to the Oregon Coast overnight Nov. 15 and early Nov. 16 in an effort to help a stranded humpback whale after posts on social media went viral.
The whale was apparently tangled in lines from a crab pot near Yachats, Lincoln County. By the evening of Nov. 16, officials indicated there was little chance the whale would survive.
So many people had shown up that Oregon State Police and other officials were asking people to avoid the area and to clear vehicles from U.S. Highway 101.
Many hoped that high tide would help the whale swim back out into the ocean, but the whale appeared to roll further inland toward the beach. By the evening of Nov. 16, officials said "euthanasia was one option," according to the Lincoln Chronicle.
“In truth, once a whale comes to shore, there’s a super, super slim, almost no chance that it’s going to survive," Lisa Ballance, interim director of Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute, told the news outlet.
