Dead humpback whale removed from shoreline

JAMESTOWN (AP) — Environmental officials have removed the carcass of a humpback whale that beached on the rocks at a Rhode Island state park.

The state Department of Environmental Management said the 32-foot carcass found at Beavertail State Park in Jamestown last Friday has been transferred to an undisclosed location for examination and burial. Staff at Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut will be performing a necropsy to determine the cause of death. State officials said retrieval of the carcass wasn't possible until Friday because of adverse weather conditions.

The department said humpback whale sightings have increased recently in local waters thanks to an abundant food supply. The whales are protected under the federal Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection Acts and boats are required under law to stay a certain distance away from them.