Humpback whale washes ashore in Jamestown

By: Chloe Leshner

cleshner@abc6.com

@cleshnerabc6

Dozens of people flocked to the shore in Jamestown not for a beach day but to check out a huge humpback whale that washed ashore. It’s certainly not something you see everyday so there was quite the crowd at Beavertail State Park catching a glimpse of this unique sight.

"It’s crazy! It"s so big and honestly it like blew my mind," says Kylie King of Exeter.

A gigantic humpback whale washed ashore on Friday, dozens of people stopping by just to take a look.

"It’s sad to see an animal this majestic dead like this however it’s really an interesting experience because most people will never get to see a whale ever again in their lives," says Alex Borges, a park ranger with the Department of Environmental Management.

Many gasp and snap pictures but the general feeling is one of sadness.

"They’re so intelligent and they’re so close to our species that there’s just some sort of connection obviously for all these people to come see," says Chris Allen.

Humpback whales typically stay in colder waters but will come to the area for feeding.

"There’s been reports of a pod of humpback whales out in Narragansett for the past week or so. We’re thinking that maybe this one was from that pod," says Borges.

Officials with the Mystic Aquarium took samples to figure out what happened to the whale with plans to move it off the shore soon.

Until then, people can’t resist taking a look.

"There’s usually belugas we see from the bridge but never humpbacks," says King.

When the tide is higher DEM officials plan to pull the whale’s body back into the ocean, returning it to the ecosystem so that other animals can feed off of it.

©WLNE-TV / ABC6 2017