A young gray whale swam about 20 miles up the Willapa River in Washington, ending up very far away from the Pacific Ocean. Locals gave the whale the nickname “Willapa Willy,” and many people were rooting for the whale to find its way back home. Sadly, the animal has died. At this point, no one knows exactly why it died or why is what there in the first place. It’s possible the animal simply became disoriented while feeding near the mouth of the river.
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“We are saddened to confirm that the whale seen in the Willapa River over the past few days is deceased,” wrote the Cascadia Research Collective, a nonprofit that was monitoring the whale during its river escapade. “We are working with local partners to evaluate the safety of the location to conduct an examination.”
See photos of the whale that swam up the Willapa River below:
Header stock image by ilyaska/Getty Images
