San Diego Lifeguards will continue Sunday to transport the carcass of a 45-foot Fin Whale. They're trying to haul the whale's remains to the Miramar landfill for disposal.
The giant mammal was spotted Saturday morning just west of the children’s' pool in La Jolla. At first, lifeguards thought the huge creature was an overturned vessel.
They spent nearly six hours towing the whale from La Jolla to Fiesta Island. Crews admit it's expensive and time consuming, but say it's still the best option.
"We couldn't take the chance it was going into a remote inaccessible area of the beach and then sit there two or three months, and have residents have to deal with that odor, " said lifeguard Lt. Nick Lerma.
A small crowd gathered to watch as crews used four front loaders to bring the creature onto the beach of Mission Bay. It's a sight and a smell they won't soon forget.
"It's way more disgusting than I thought in the first place. It snapped in half and it's bubbling. It smells so bad, " said Bob Lewis.
"It's maybe a little morbid, perhaps, but it's interesting to see how they're going to get it out," said Catherine Truesdale.
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Scientists from the National Marine Fisheries Service took tissue samples to try to determine the whale's cause of death, but said they may never know because of the animal's decomposition.
Lifeguards say they've had about nine whales wash ashore over the last fifteen years.
The Fin Whale is the second largest living animal after the Blue Whale.
