Posted on 04/28/2014 5:48:04 PM PDT by rickmichaels
A dead blue whale that is slowly rotting on the beach of the western Newfoundland community of Trout River has the community scrambling to find a way to get rid of it before it explodes.
The whale's 25-metre carcass washed into Trout River just over a week ago, and has since been pushed up against the beach.
"The whale is blowing up. It looks as if it's a big balloon, from a distance," said Emily Butler, Trout River's town clerk, who has been trying to find a government agency that can help dispose of the whale.
Tucked inside a corner of Gros Morne National Park, Trout River depends in large part during the summer on tourism.
Butler said the whale — likely one of a group of blue whales that died several weeks ago in heavy ice off Newfoundland's west coast — is giving off an odour that's already hard to ignore.
Butler is worried about what could happen if the carcass remains grounded near the town's historic wooden boardwalk. "It's only a matter of time — as the weather warms up, it's only going to worse," she said.
Even now, the town is drawing a different kind of visitor: People from the region who drive to take in the unusual sight of a blue whale right on the shoreline.
"It's very difficult to keep people away, simply because it's not too often that you see a blue whale," she said.
Butler, who has been told that the town is responsible for dealing with the carcass because it is now on its beach, said it cannot cope alone with the unusual problem.
"We really don't have any resources and we really don't have the expertise," she said.
Butler said the clock is ticking on finding a solution, as the swollen whale is getting bigger.
"There is a possibility as well, with all these gases inside the whale, that it may possibly explode," she said. "That's a major concern for us, as well."
Meanwhile, another whale carcass has washed ashore in Rocky Harbour, the largest town in Gros Morne National Park.
Is the whale named Hillary or Roseanne? Just asking.
Don’t want to be the poor bastard who sticks something sharp into it. “Dead man flying”.
Steel shot shotgun shells
Does no one care about the great lakes whales trapped under the ice?
Dynamite people, dynamite!
Has anyone called PETA for assistance?
Ambergris!
Saw that. All it did was blow huge hunks of rotting flesh all over the place.
“There are very few personal problems that cannot be solved through a suitable application of high explosives”
A well trained marine biologist may be just the answer here.
Our government at work!
So I take it that this is the first time a whale has ever washed up on a beach? /s
Love the commentary at 2:20.
Nature obviously doesn’t know what it’s doing. We need to step in and fix this. Right after we reset the earth’s thermostat.
Sort of sounds like America’s Obama problem...
I think you are wrong....it's hippos!!!
The blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds. Great reporting!
I saw a show on one of the science channels about this. They stab it one end to the other to let the gas out before it blows. Got to be a memorable smell, one you never forget.
“Lord thunderin Jeez that’s a whale of a smell.”
“No buddy, that’s the smell of a whale, boy.”
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