PORTLAND, ORE.—So many grey whales are dying off the U.S. West Coast that scientists and volunteers dealing with the putrid carcasses have an urgent request for coastal residents: lend your private beaches so these ocean giants can rot in peace. The number of dead whales washing ashore in Washington state alone — 29 as of this week — means almost every isolated public beach has been used. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOWThe first private-beach owners to respond, a Washington state couple, received their carcass earlier this month. The number of dead whales found in Washington state this year has already surpassed the tally for 2000, when the last significant die-off of grey whales occurred on the West Coast. In Oregon, five dead grey whales have been documented as of this week, more than in all of last year.

Source: thestar June 23, 2019 11:03 UTC