Gray whale, seen 20 miles inland, dies in southwest Washington river

A young gray whale that amazed and confounded onlookers for days this week after winding up 20 miles inland in a Southwest Washington river has died, according to the marine wildlife nonprofit Cascadia Research Collective.

The whale first appeared in the North Fork of the Willapa River on April 1. According to The Oregonian, the whale entered the river from Willapa Bay near Bruceport and followed it east along Highway 101, passing through South Bend and Raymond.

The odd sight quickly became a viral sensation. Some nicknamed the whale “Willapa Willy.” In videos posted to social media, the whale — its length spanning nearly half the width of the river in places — can be seen occasionally spouting through its blowhole. Its tail, gray and mottled with light patches, flicked close to the brambles along the river’s rocky banks.

Cascadia Research Collective said in a Facebook post on Thursday that the whale, although thin, was behaving normally and did not appear to have any injuries. The nonprofit said it would monitor the whale to determine if intervention was necessary.

On Friday, the research nonprofit, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, and members of the Chinook and Shoalwater Bay tribes searched for the whale with no luck.

The situation turned grim. The young whale was found floating lifeless in the river Saturday — and Cascadia Research Collective asked people to stay away. The nonprofit is working with local partners to evaluate the safety of the location to conduct an examination, it said in a Facebook post Saturday evening. It plans to conduct an examination.

The incident marks at least the third gray whale to turn up dead along the Western Washington coastline over the past few days. On Thursday, two dead gray whales washed ashore on Copalis Beach, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Although whales occasionally wind up in rivers, it’s not common and can cause health problems if their exposure to freshwater is prolonged. Gray whales, specifically, are only regularly found in the North Pacific Ocean, according to NOAA Fisheries.

The Chinook Tribe will hold a private ceremony for the whale, according to the Chinook Observer, and local officials are working with federal officials to acquire permits to harvest it in accordance with ancient tribal traditions.