Scientists Plan To Tow In Carcass Of 3rd Blue Whale

Tow boat crews wrapped a huge nylon sling around the tail of a dead blue whale drifting in the Santa Barbara Channel on Friday and started hauling their grim cargo toward a beach at Point Mugu. In a deepening scientific mystery, the blue whale is the third in two weeks found dead off the Southern California coast. An endangered species, blue whales are the largest animals on Earth. Until last week, they were found stranded on California beaches or mangled on the bows of ships in the state's ports perhaps once a year, according to scientists charged with retrieving and studying them. Instead of waiting for the latest whale to drift ashore, scientists sped up the process with a tow, enabling them to scrutinize the whale's tissues before they further decompose. The whale's destination -- a beach at Naval Base Ventura County -- was chosen so the public would not be exposed to the odor or the expense of getting rid of it...