There have been more whales washing up on the shores of New York State beaches, and sadly they have not survived. What happens to these whales that wash up on the shores of New York State beaches?

Is there an investigation as to why and how the whale died? What happens to the whale carcass? Is it taken to a museum? Is there a funeral?

Where can you legally bury a whale in New York State?

Photo by Richard Sagredo on Unsplash
Photo by Richard Sagredo on Unsplash
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After doing some research with Noaa,gov, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, it is up to the persons or organization that finds the whale to perform a necropsy (essentially an autopsy on an animal) to determine cause of death. Then the organization will take steps and decide what to do with the whale remains. 

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Believe it or not, almost all of the whales that have been washed up on the coastline of New York State in the past few years, have all been buried on the beach, even the beaches you might think of when you think of "beach days." It is not as simple as using a few shovels, there is a need to bring in heavy equipment loaders to make this possible, as the whales are truly huge in size and weight.

Are there markers put on the beach in the area where the whales were buried?

No, out of respect for the animal, the beach will be closed on the days that the whales are on the beach doing the necropsy and then also during the burial process.

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