A dead whale was removed from a York beach Friday night, police said Saturday morning.

The minke whale washed up on the shore of Long Sands Beach and had died, the York Police Department reported.

Marine Mammals of Maine removed the whale after the tide went out. Members worked in the middle of the night to remove the body, which was transported from the beach on the back of a flatbed truck. The nonprofit organization rescues marine animals.

On Friday, police asked the public not to approach the whale and to give the Marine Mammals of Maine the space they needed to work.