A 70,000-pound whale just washed up dead on the beach. What do you do?

That is the question confronting the authorities in Southern California this week after the 43-foot carcass of a gray whale came ashore in San Clemente on a cramped stretch of beach that is also one of the state’s most popular spot for surfers.

Figuring out how to remove it has been complicated.

Spectators have gathered to gawk at the animal’s hulking body since it made landfall on Sunday afternoon in an area of San Onofre State Beach called the Lower Trestles, said Kevin Pearsall, a public safety superintendent for the Orange Coast district of the California State Parks Department. Interest from the news media has been high, too.

“You would think it was the first whale that ever washed up on the beach,” he said.

Officials have labored to find a quick, effective way to remove the animal. But there are many factors to consider:

Don’t upset the humans

Officials must find a method that will not upset spectators (some have become emotionally invested in the dead whale).

“It’s sensitive because it’s such a majestic creature and people have very fond ideas about whales and their beauty, so for people to see one dead on the beach, it’s a very nostalgic moment,” Mr. Pearsall said.