21-Foot Orca Whale Removed After Washing Up on Palm Beach – Subsequently Dies

A 21-foot orca washed up on shore in Palm Coast, Fla., on Wednesday, and subsequently died, according to wildlife officials. The female killer whale was first spotted early Wednesday, and officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration responded to the scene along with the Flagler County Sheriffs Office. Photos shared by the sheriffs office show a crowd gathered at the beach near Jungle Hut Park, where they spent several hours loading the approximately 5,000-pound whale onto a truck. Multiple Bobcats, and a larger bulldozer, were called in to assist with the removal. As crowds of onlookers gathered to observe the all-day operation, the sheriffs office closed Jungle Hut Road to traffic until shortly before 4 p.m. when the whale was removed. The whale is being transported to SeaWorld for a necropsy to determine its cause of death. While orcas have been spotted off the coast of Florida, they havent been seen stranded so far south, according to wildlife officials. Its calving season for the more common right whales off Floridas coast, and wildlife officials are urging boaters to slow down and use caution near inlets and shore.