The Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is urging visitors to keep their distance after a grey whale washed up on a popular beach Vancouver Island beach May 7.
Parks Canada announced the closure of a section of Long Beach near Tofino effective May 10 until further notice as Parks Canada, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) are working together to "respectfully respond" to the situation.
On Saturday, May 10, Tla-o-qui-aht will hold a private ceremony. DFO will lead a necropsy the same day," Parks Canada announced in a post on its Facebook page. "Final results from this analysis may take up to three months. There may be other activities taking place over the coming days."
The carcass had been spotted floating offshore the day prior and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Parks Canada are working together to sort out what steps to take now that the animal has been beached.
“We are asking visitors to keep their distance, no touching, and to keep their dogs on leash and away from the area. Thank you for your cooperation,” read a statement posted to the Park Reserve’s Facebook page on May 7.
A Park Reserve spokesperson told Efteen that a cause of death for the young m̓aaʔak (Grey whale) is currently unknown.
“Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Park Guardians and Parks Canada have restricted access to the animal, both for health and safety reasons, and in respect for the whale. Visitors may only observe the carcass from a distance, and touching the whale is prohibited. Always keep pets on leash and do not allow them to approach the carcass,” the spokesperson said.
“Parks Canada is a recognized leader in conservation and takes action to protect national parks and national marine conservation areas. The Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation continues to steward the lands and waters within their ḥaḥuułi and will be determining how to respectfully steward the carcass. Although the loss of a whale can be difficult to observe, it also provides important nutrients to other animals and the environment.”
A necropsy was performed within the Park Reserve’s Long Beach unit in April of 2015 when a roughly 10-metre-long, one-year-old, female grey whale was found washed ashore at Wickanninish Beach.
