A truly massive whale – possibly a bit more than 12 metres long – washed up dead on a Quarteira beach this weekend causing intense public interest.
The adult carcass first appeared on Saturday, but was then ‘taken by the sea’, disappearing before authorities could deal with it.
Today, it was returned with the next high tide, and this time winched up onto the sands for removal for burial in landfill.
Explain reports, it wasn’t possible to actually complete the operation today, but it will be resumed tomorrow.
One of the ‘experts’ involved in the retrieval, said leaving the carcass was not an option as it could pose a danger to public health if it decomposed on land or rocks, and a shipwreck if it came into contact with any boats at sea.
Said biologist Antonieta Nunes, it will not be easy to establish cause of death. “It could be anything”, she told reporters gathered on the beach – but it certainly seems not to have been connected to the recent spate of stormy weather.
Image: from SIC Television news
