A massive orca whale washed up on a Florida shore on January 11. The female was found dead at the south end of Jungle Hut Beach in Flagler County, located on the Palm Coast.
Flagler County Sheriff's Office, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, as well as SeaWorld staff members, assisted the animal and transported her to Orlando.
The beached whale will be taken to SeaWorld where a necropsy will be done to determine her cause of death.
In order to remove the mammal from the shoreline, many people had to tie her up with ties attached to a bobcat bulldozer.
Authorities helping tie up the whale attached to a bobcat truck.Flagler County Government | Facebook
Once they brought the whale back to land, SeaWorld was waiting with a large truck that would load the animal and carry her back to Orlando.
"Our Flagler County Fire Rescue members from B Shift, Station 41, and members of our marine rescue unit were in attendance to assist with heavy lifting and were on the scene in case of any medical emergencies with SeaWorld staff," the Flagler County Government's Facebook post reads.
They used a forklift to lift her and get her into SeaWorld's truck bed.
The whale on the forklift.Flagler County Sheriff's Office | Facebook
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) referred to this as an "extremely rare" case and an orca whale hasn't really had a record of being found in Florida or the Southeast United States.
Orcas are typically swimming in colder waters like those of Alaska, Norway and Antarctica.