(Massachusetts State Police)
REVERE (WBZ-AM) -- A juvenile humpback whale has washed up on Revere Beach.
The 25-foot whale appears to be the same one that washed up on Cohasset Beach earlier in September. It was towed out to sea, and has apparently returned.
If you're wondering why the whale was towed out to sea rather than carried away by heavy equipment or buried, the NOAA has an explanation. They released a statement to WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Friday morning:
"Based on the limited options available to us, NOAA, along with EPA and US Coast Guard, approved a plan to tow the whale off Cohasset and dispose of it at sea, which was done on 9/14. While a land disposal is preferable, in this case access to the whale was limited by the sea wall. The heavy equipment needed to remove the whale was not able to access the rocky beach area where the whale had landed."
Massachusetts State Police said troopers secured the scene, and specialists from the New England Aquarium were headed to the scene.
Several deceased whales have washed up on Massachusetts beaches in the last few weeks. On August 20, a 55-foot Finback whale washed ashore on Duxbury Beach.