Veterinarians are now at Moriches Bay, a lagoon system of Long Island's south shore, to check out the baby humpback whale that has been trapped in a sandbar for days. Charles Bowman, president of the Riverhead Foundation, said this morning, "Once the medical team has examined the animal, NOAA will decide how best to proceed." Update: The whale was euthanized; more details below.

The whale had been spotted in the Long Island bay almost two weeks ago, and at the time, the Riverhead Foundation said it was "moving throughout the area on its own and has been exhibiting behaviors that are consistent with feeding" but that it would continue to monitor the whale.

Then over the weekend, the Riverhead Foundation said, "The whale that has been observed in Moriches Bay over the past week is currently grounded in the middle of the bay, near Hart’s Cove. The RFMRP is continuing to monitor the animal’s behavior and condition. On Sunday, November 20, 2016, RFMRP biologists went out on boats with the support of the Southampton Town Bay Constables and NYS DEC to monitor the animal’s behavior and condition, and efforts to create wave action in hopes to move the whale off the sand bar were unsuccessful. An attempt to get on the water closer to the animal’s location to observe it’s condition this morning was unsuccessful due to the extremely low tide and high winds."

WCBS 2 reports that "marine biologists suspect the whale’s 20-ton weight is crushing its internal organs."

Because whales are endangered, NOAA "takes the lead," according to Brookhaven Deputy Town Supervisor Dan Paninco, who told WCBS 2 that there have been offers to use machinery to help free the whale. "Town officials told CBS2 that federal officials have said no to using barges or netting, arguing it would likely kill the whale."

"Heartbreaking." Crowds gather to see whale stuck on sandbar in Moriches Bay. "Why can't anyone help?" pic.twitter.com/QpnUg29xef — GREG CERGOL4NY (@GREGCERGOL4NY) November 22, 2016

Residents have been upset about the whale's plight and the apparent slow response. WABC 7 explained, "Some people have taken to their boats to try free the whale themselves. Someone even brought in a dredge Tuesday to dig a canal in the sand near the whale. The Coast Guard and police kept them away." One man explained, "There are local people who want to help and use their equipment and services and they should work together and get the job done."

Another man said, "A lot of the people that live here on the bay have been able to hear it from their windows at night crying."

Here's drone video of the whale from Fire Island and Beyond which reminds locals of NOAA's whale watching guidelines (stay 100 feet back):

Governor Cuomo is also monitoring the situation:

Statement on whale grounded on Moriches Bay sandbar: pic.twitter.com/Ogou8uTesj — Dani Lever (@Dani_Lever) November 23, 2016

Update: Experts decided to euthanize the whale. Newsday reports, "A medical team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration made the decision to euthanize the animal, according to a NYS DEC official."