KENNEBUNK, Maine — Officials say the carcass of a dead humpback whale near Kennebunk Beach has been removed.
The whale, nicknamed "Lollipop" by officials, washed up on Strawberry Island, which is off the Kennebunk coast, during the overnight hours Friday into Saturday.
Kennebunk harbormaster Jamie Houtz was then able to float Lollipop off and into the harbor near Libbys Point, where public works crews were able access with loaders via Great Hill Road, Kennebunk Fire Chief Justin Cooper told NEWS CENTER Maine in an update.
"This was one of the smoothest operations and removals that we have ever been a part of," Cooper said.
The carcass was brought to a compost facility, according to Cooper.
Marine Mammals of Maine, an organization that responds to stranded marine animals in southern and midcoast Maine, said it had also been monitoring the carcass.
"The whale, identified as a known adult female named Lollipop, was outfitted with a tracking tag by Center for Coastal Studies to assist stranding networks with response efforts," Marine Mammals of Maine said in a social media post. "Lollipop drifted into Maine waters in a state of advanced decomposition."
The organization said it plans to conduct an external examination to evaluate Lollipop’s remains to the fullest extent possible. Marine Mammals of Maine has been using location and drift data from the tag to guide coordination efforts with the coastal towns where she could land, according to the post.
The organization said it was also in frequent communication, with the Maine Marine Patrol.
A similar situation arose in June when a humpback whale carcass washed up on coastal ledges in Harpswell. It was removed from the ledges via boat, towed to a nearby landing, and lifted into a dump truck by a local contractor. That whale was also taken to a composting facility.
