Gray whale washes up dead near Cabrillo Beach

A young gray whale that was found dead on Friday is believed to be the same emaciated animal that was freed from a rope off Manhattan Beach on Sept. 6. The rope wrapped around the whale's tail was removed by rescuers. "We knew from the start that this whale didn't have much of a chance even if we got the stuff off of it," said Peter Wallerstein of Marine Animal Rescue in El Segundo, who took part in the operation.

Lifeguards towed the whale out to sea after it was discovered Friday about 300 yards offshore, the Daily Breeze says. The carcass "apparently drifted near Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, where other people saw it in the ocean on Sunday."

Photo in the Breeze by Robert McNerney