Gray whale washes ashore in Oregon after orca attack

BANDON Ore. (KPTV) – A juvenile gray whale washed ashore at Tish-A-Tang Beach in southern Oregon this week after being attacked by orcas.

According to a statement by the Coquille Tribe, the tribe will handle the removal of the whale.

Jim Rice, the Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator with Oregon State University, came to the scene to help find out what led the 18-foot whale to wash-up near Face Rock on Monday, May 6.

The next afternoon, the Oregon Parks and Recreation department reached out to the Coquille Tribe and several tribal staff members took over responsibility of the mammal’s remains during a ceremony on the beach.

Gray whale deaths have cultural significance to the Coquille people.

“We are going to do what our people have done for thousands of years,” said MJ Parrish, one of the tribal members who helped in the retrieval of the whale. “We are going to celebrate this blessing we have received. We are going to respect this great gift and utilize everything we can.”

“We will make certain not to waste its sacrifice,” Chair Meade said, adding that in Coquille Tribal culture an act of this sort is seen as a gift from the creator. “To our knowledge, this is also the first time in generations that our tribe has been able to experience this kind of ceremony. So, this is a truly wonderful gift. And not only for the whale blubber and the bones that we will be able to use. As we prepare to celebrate 35 years since being officially restored as a federally recognized tribe, it is so important that we are able to take this opportunity for the cultural education of tribal members and especially for our youth.”

This area of the southern Oregon coast is of ancestral importance to the tribe.

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