This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-39178001
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Whale carcass washes up on rocks at Hartland Quay | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| A decomposing whale carcass thought to be as long as 10m (32ft) has washed up on the rocks in Devon. | |
| The fin whale's remains were spotted near Hartland Quay at about 16:00 GMT on Wednesday. | |
| Richard Haste from Torridge Council said it would require a "major operation" to remove the whale. | Richard Haste from Torridge Council said it would require a "major operation" to remove the whale. |
| He urged people to avoid the area and dog owners to keep dogs on leads due to the possible bio-hazard risks. | He urged people to avoid the area and dog owners to keep dogs on leads due to the possible bio-hazard risks. |
| British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) were involved in checking and identifying the whale. | British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) were involved in checking and identifying the whale. |
| Stephen Marsh from the charity said it was clear from the first photos it was a fin whale. He said it was small, less than half the 25m the creature can grow to. | Stephen Marsh from the charity said it was clear from the first photos it was a fin whale. He said it was small, less than half the 25m the creature can grow to. |
| He said: "With Fin whales we get about five or six a year coming into the UK but they are usually dead. | He said: "With Fin whales we get about five or six a year coming into the UK but they are usually dead. |
| "We don't know where it came from; it could have washed up anywhere. The majority of these animals die at sea and we never see them." | "We don't know where it came from; it could have washed up anywhere. The majority of these animals die at sea and we never see them." |
| Cheryl Fan Duerden, sent by the charity to identify the whale, said: "Very sad to see it flopped over and lodged amongst the rocks and blood in the rock pools, but to see a whale in its entirety is still pretty awesome." | Cheryl Fan Duerden, sent by the charity to identify the whale, said: "Very sad to see it flopped over and lodged amongst the rocks and blood in the rock pools, but to see a whale in its entirety is still pretty awesome." |
| She said she went with her husband on Wednesday evening to investigate and found the whale was already in a bad state of decomposition. | She said she went with her husband on Wednesday evening to investigate and found the whale was already in a bad state of decomposition. |
| She said: "The skin was gone so it would've probably died a couple of weeks ago and washed up on a high tide." | She said: "The skin was gone so it would've probably died a couple of weeks ago and washed up on a high tide." |
| Torridge Council could not say how much the removal of the whale would cost but Mr Marsh said it was likely to be "very expensive". | Torridge Council could not say how much the removal of the whale would cost but Mr Marsh said it was likely to be "very expensive". |