Crews remove dead humpback whale from Dockweiler State Beach

PLAYA DEL REY (CNS / FOX 11) - Authorities have towed the carcass of a humpback whale -- which washed ashore at Dockweiler State Beach this week -- back out to sea.

The dead whale came ashore at 8 p.m. Thursday, according to the Lifeguard Division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The whale remained on the shoreline overnight, and the curious public was warned away by yellow police tape.

Authorities waited until high tide -- just after 7:30 p.m. Friday -- to haul the whale out to sea.

Many beachgoers commented on the rancid stench the whale's carcass produced.

Covina native Donnette Chavira said the smell was "pretty bad'' and wondered aloud if it was going to last the entire day.

A man at the beach told news outlets of the spectacle, "Besides the smell, it was pretty cool -- it was awesome!''

The approximately 45-foot-long sea mammal was identified by experts as a whale named Wally that first appeared off Southern California in 2015 and appeared in a couple of viral videos.

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