![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/BZWH6QTILFGOPANOZ2MYDZTDLY.jpeg\")
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A dead gray whale on a beach near Florence, Ore., on March 26, 2026.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Dolly Wholley<\/p>\n
Oregon authorities say a dead gray whale washed up on a beach near Florence Thursday morning.<\/p>\n
The animal was discovered near the Driftwood Shores resort, said Oregon State Parks spokesperson Mike Baden.<\/p>\n
Baden said Thursday afternoon that staff from the Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network were on-site to conduct a necropsy and determine a cause of death.<\/p>\n
He said parks staff were helping direct the public. He said the area directly around the animal has been roped off, but the rest of the beach is still accessible.<\/p>\n
Baden warned that deceased whales are protected under federal law, so approaching or touching them is prohibited.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now our concern is just keeping visitors at a safe distance from the whale and following instructions,\u201d said Baden.<\/p>\n
Eugene resident Dolly Woolley said she was on a walk in the area when she saw the animal.<\/p>\n
She said there appeared to be several cuts on its body, and she thought it looked thin.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is sad, but it is also part of life, you know?\u201d said Woolley. \u201dSome survive and some don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with KLCC<\/a>. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.<\/p>\n