The corpse of a fin whale washed up on the beach near Santa Rita Place near Pacific Beach Sunday morning, prompting officials to warn the public not to touch it or to allow their pets near it in case of disease.
NBC reported that dozens of spectators, including beachgoers, firefighters and lifeguards, and the San Diego Police Department, were seen surrounding the whale at around 9:30 Sunday morning.
People were seen running up to the whale, some touching it, but lifeguards quickly warned them to stay away through loudspeakers, NBC reported.
The juvenile female’s cause of death remains unclear, say researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which set up a perimeter around it in order to take photos and data. They plan to tow the whale out into deep water and let it sink.
The fin whale is the second-largest cetacean and listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act and a depleted species per the Marine Mammal Protection Act. According to NOAA, the biggest threat to this species is currently vessel strikes. They can also become entangled in fishing gear.
Anyone who encounters an injured, ill, or dead marine animal can report it here.