NORTH LITCHFIELD BEACH, S.C. — Beachgoers on the south end of the Grand Strand are being asked to give a wide berth to a dead whale that came ashore Thursday on North Litchfield Beach in Georgetown County.
The animal landed on the sand near Shorebird Loop, county spokesperson Jackie Broach said in an emailed statement. Federal marine specialists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were sent to look the whale over, and it will be taken off the beach once that review is finished.
County officials asked people to keep their distance and to keep dogs and other pets away from the carcass. A dead whale can carry disease, they warned, and federal law makes it illegal to touch the animal or take any piece of it.
No word was given Thursday on what kind of whale it is, how it died or why it drifted onto this stretch of beach. Anyone walking the shoreline near Shorebird Loop should expect crews in the area until the removal is done.
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