Humpback whale washes up on Oak Island beach

An unusual visitor washed up on shore in Oak Island early Sunday morning.

Police called in a team of marine specialists from UNCW to handle this whale of a problem, literally. A 32-foot, baby humpback whale washed up on Oak Island’s beach. Officials said a whale stranding is not uncommon for our area, but this one died out at sea before washing up.

For many, it was a rare occasion to see marine life up close.

“I walk the beach every morning. I came out this morning and I thought a car was in the water because the tide was in and water was coming over it. I came running down here and it was sad to see it was a humpback whale,” said Oak Island resident, Donna Michaux.

Elvin Gordon said, “I saw the crowd down here and just like everybody else I came along to see what all the excitement is about. I couldn’t believe it.”

The task of removing this creature was left up to a team of marine specialists. After an animal autopsy, it was cut into pieces and buried a few feet from where it washed up.

Preliminary results show the whale suffered from being tangled in some sort of fishing gear. Officials said even though it was a loss of marine life, it serves as an education tool for the public.

“It was a sad day in the sense no one likes to see a dead whale, it’s not the way they should be seen in our coastal waters. But we think we might understand more about it’s life and perhaps how it’s death occurred,” said marine biologist, Ann Pabst.

A whale stranding is not uncommon for our area. Whales have been using North Carolina’s coast as a migration route for centuries.

Despite the loss, officials said North Carolina waters have the largest diversity of whales and dolphins of the mid-Atlantic coast.