After attempts to return the juvenile whale to the sea failed, Australian officials had intended to let the 31-foot creature die naturally. But the whale moved into a position on a sandbar in which it could be stabilized and euthanized.

Explosives were used because officials believed the whale was too large to shoot. The International Whaling Commission recommends the use of explosives to euthanize beached whales longer than 26 feet.

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