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Whale On Beach Will Be Cut Up, Sent To Landfill

The carcass of a dead whale that washed up on Lower Trestles beach, April 26, 2016.
Roland Lizarondo
The carcass of a dead whale that washed up on Lower Trestles beach, April 26, 2016.

The carcass of a dead whale that washed up on Lower Trestles beach, April 26, 2016.
Roland Lizarondo
The carcass of a dead whale that washed up on Lower Trestles beach, April 26, 2016.

Authorities say the rotting carcass of a 30-ton gray whale that washed up on a beach near San Clemente will be cut up and trucked to a landfill.

California parks officials made the decision Wednesday after deciding it would be impractical to tow the 40-foot whale out to sea or bury it at San Onofre State Beach in Orange County.

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Beach Superintendent Rich Hardon says the work by an emergency contractor will begin Thursday morning and take a couple of days at a cost of about $30,000.

Curiosity seekers have been visiting the beach, despite the stench, since the huge animal washed ashore Sunday at Lower Trestles, a popular surfing spot.