The Fin Whales' Plight

On December 3rd, a young male fin whale washed up on the Malibu coast between Paradise Cove and Point Dume, near the homes of Bob Dylan and Barbra Streisand. The whale is 40 feet long and 40,000 pounds and officials are finding it difficult to remove the rotting, smelly carcass. Some say that it would take a tug boat to drag it out to sea but others claim that it would be impossible to tow even at high tide. The whale, with a large gash on its back and a damaged spine, seems to have been hit by a ship. Accidents like this are common because blue, fin, and humpback whales migrate to California's coast to eat krill. Fin whales are endangered and only 2,300 live along the West Coast. They the second largest species of whale and can live to be 90 years old. The fin whales' plight is heartbreaking, this whale's in particular.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/rotting-whale-casts-foul-stench-malibu-17894358#.UMI_DeRfArU