A 70-foot sperm whale that washed up on a sandbar off the coast of Florida early Sunday is still alive, authorities said, as wildlife officials scramble to rescue the marine mammal.
The whale washed up about 50 meters from the shore near Venice Service Club Park, the city said in a statement posted on social media.
As of the 11:30 a.m. statement, the city said the whale was still alive.
Police closed the entrance to the park while Mote Marine Laboratory scientists and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission staff investigated the whale’s condition. Venice Police Department and Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Marines assisted.
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Venice, Florida city officials said the beached whale appears to be a 70-foot-long sperm whale. (Venice City Government)
Hundreds of spectators lined the waterfront despite authorities urging people to avoid the area, the Sarasota Herald Tribune reported.
Officials said the whale ran aground on a sandbar about 50 meters from shore. (Venice City Government)
Further details about the whale or its condition were not immediately available.
City officials said the whale was still alive as of Sunday morning. (FOX13 Tampa WTVT)
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Venice is approximately 120 miles south of Tampa.
A large crowd gathered on the beach to watch wildlife officials and scientists work to save the whale. (FOX13 Tampa WTVT)
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Last week, two whale carcasses washed up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and another whale carcass washed up in Maryland last month. The definitive cause of death for these whales was not immediately released.
