News / Society

Giant whale washed up along southern Iranian coast

Monday, 24 August 2015 5:55 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 24 August 2015 6:16 PM ]

The photo shows the decomposing body of a 13-meter-long whale washed up on a beach in the southern Iranian province of Bushehr.

The decomposing body of a whale is washed up on a beach in southern Iran, with experts providing conflicting accounts on why the giant creature has died.

Iranian media said Monday that the animal was spotted a few days ago on a beach near the port city of Dayyer in southwestern province of Bushehr, a first such incidence in decades in the gas-rich area.

Experts have begun assessing how the animal had actually died while people were also pondering what would be the best way to dispose of the large beast.

The head of the local environment department said biometric and sampling tests have been carried out on the carcass of the whale, showing that the animal died after hitting a big vessel.

Abdullah Najafi did not elaborate whether there were broken bones or hemorrhaging visible on the body of the whale which could prove a ship strike. He said the animal is 13.30 meter long (43.6 feet) and has a weight of around 8 tons.

A 13-meter-long whale washed up dead on a beach in the southern Iranian Bushehr province is drawing scientists and environmental activists from across Iran.

However, Mostafa Hushmand, an environment activist who walked nearly two kilometers on foot to reach the decomposed body, said the whale may have died due to “malnutrition” as his body mass was at least four tons less than the normal levels. He did not rule out hunting attempts to catch the creature as he claimed traces of rope were visible on the body.

Hushmand said the best way to dispose of the body would be to lay it on the beach as the place is at least 15 kilometers off the closest residential area and the stinking wouldn’t cause problems for the people. He said the site would be equipped with a GPS to enable environmental officials to spot the skeleton to be moved to a museum at a later time.

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