A security team has arrived at a beach in Devon to guard an eighteen metre-long dead whale. The giant mammal was beached at low tide at Langstone Cliff near Dawlish. Experts say the carcass, which is partially decomposed, is a finn whale – the second largest animal in the world. Fin whales are usually found in large numbers in the Bay of Biscay and their presence in British waters is a relatively new discovery.
Onlookers have been lining the sea wall taking pictures and watching coastguard and council officials deal with the carcass. It washed up ashore just after 8am and witnesses say the smell was pungent as soon as it hit the beach. Teignbridge District Council has been working on a plan to remove the whale by land. They’ve been forced to call in security overnight while they arrange contractors to take away the carcass – which could take up to 48 hours:
Moving the whale by land is going to be the most appropriate option and we are aiming to appoint a contractor to safely remove the carcass within the next 48 hours and take it to a licensed facility for disposal.
Security will be onsite overnight to make sure people are staying behind the cordon. It is a sad sight to see and we re committed to dealing with it in the most appropriate way. We would like to thank all our residents and visitors for their co-operation so far.
Teignbridge District Council