TORRANCE, Calif. (KABC) — Video shows the shocking moment a man slapped a dead whale that washed up on Torrance Beach over the weekend.

The juvenile Fin whale, which officials estimated was about 51 feet long, washed up on the shore Saturday evening and died a few hours later. Before it was towed out to sea, a necropsy was performed to figure out exactly what caused its death.

As officials were preparing to remove the carcass, a man was seen disregarding the caution tape and running up to slap the whale’s fin.

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, it is illegal to touch whales – whether they’re dead or alive.