Update 9:50 a.m. Thursday: The Riverhead Foundation is prepared to start a necropsy on the humpback whale that washed up in East Quogue on Wednesday morning.
According to Kim Durham of the Riverhead Foundation, Thursday morning, foundation staff will be using a D9 tractor to pull the whale further up the beach to perform the necropsy in an effort to determine its cause of death.
The whale will then be buried on the beach, said Durham.
Update 2:06 p.m. Wednesday: Kim Durham of the Riverhead Foundation said a deceased 30 to 35-foot whale that is laying about 200 yards west of Triton Lane in East Quogue is a humpback.
Durham said her organization is currently consulting with Southampton officials on the next steps, including logistics for a necropsy and disposal.
She could not yet say what caused the whale's death or if it is a male or female.
The last time a whale was found in the area was in August 2012 when its carcass washed up just east of Tiana Beach in Hampton Bays. It took county workers four hours to bury it after it was determined that the whale had been struck by a ship.
Four months earlier, on May 5, 2012 an adult pygmy sperm whale was discovered 500 feet from the shore near 901 Dune Road in West Hampton Dunes. It was determined that the 800-pound whale was underweight and died of an illness.
Previous: A 30-foot whale washed up in East Quogue, near Triton Lane, according to Southampton Trustee Eric Shultz.
Shultz said the trustees responded after a call about the whale came into the Southampton Bay Constables office at about 7:45 on Wednesday morning.
The deceased whale, said Shultz, is currently thrashing in the surf, but it is expected that the carcass will be brought further up the beach as the tide rolls in.
"We are waiting to see what happens and then will figure out what to do with it," said Shultz. "It will be a coordinated effort between the constables, the trustees and the Riverhead Foundation."
The Riverhead Foundation has been called, said Shultz, and as of 9:30 a.m. officials were awaiting their arrival.
Check back as this story develops.
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