Photo: Moment RF
A dead whale that washed up on a private beach in Massachusetts two weeks ago continues to cause problems for local residents.
Boston.com reports the 20-foot-long minkle whale has decomposed and is omitting a smell that has seeped into neighbors' homes.
The whale was initially found on the beach near the Ocean Aire Estates on July 18, but since the beach is private, the homeowners association needs to coordinate the disposal of its remains before action can be taken.
“If it was on a town or a state beach, the town would have responsibility, or the state would have responsibility,” Ainsley Smith, a regional marine mammal stranding coordinator with the NOAA, told Boston.com.
NOAA and the International Fund for Animal Welfare have both kept tabs on the whale situation at the private beach. Smith said NOAA is working with the HOA on a plan to dispose of the whale carcass and the landfill in Bourne has already confirmed it will take the remains.
Local residents are also concerned that the dead whale could possibly carry a disease. Members of the IFAW planned to do an external exam on the remains, but since the disposal wasn't lined up, they were unable to perform a necropsy and it's now too late to do so, Boston.com reports.
Officials believe the whale was hit by a vessel based on observations of the carcass, but are aware that minke whales carry disease.