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© Cape Cod Times/Merrily Cassid
Necropsy planned for 3,000 lb. animal

A dead pilot whale was removed with heavy equipment from a Cape Cod beach on Wednesday.

The whale stranded on Hardings Beach in Chatham on Monday. Researchers tried unsuccessfully to return the whale to the water, but ultimately, it had to be euthanized.

IFAW officials said the 18-foot whale weighed about 3,000 pounds.

According to IFAW, pilot whale strandings are not uncommon on Cape Cod. Generally when a single whale comes ashore, it is likely sick or injured, IFAW said.

International Fund for Animal Welfare researchers brought the animal to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for a necropsy.