Whale corpses still rotting on beach months after tragedy
CREATURES DECAYING ON WATERFRONT
WALK along Withernsea beach in the cold winter sunlight and you will still be reminded of the event that occurred here on Christmas Eve.
The crowds have gone, so too the marine experts, but lying in the shadow of the eroding cliffs still lie the behemoths of the sea.
Four rotting sperm whales remain where they were sadly stranded almost two months ago. Seven young males died that day.
Two of the dead animals washed back into the sea almost immediately, while one was removed by East Riding Council as it was close to Withernsea promenade.
However, the other four were left to decompose naturally by the Crown Estate.
You would be forgiven for thinking the incredible marine mammals would have long withered away with the skeletal remains washed out to sea. But, as you walk along towards Tunstall, the odd shapes begin to loom across the coastal vista.
They have shrunk as they dehydrate and begun to decompose, but they are still very recognisable.
The first one you come across is half submerged in sand as if nature is trying to give it a respectful burial.
The second is still very much recognisable, but it appears trophy hunters have pulled out all the teeth and squares seem to have been carved out of the body – perhaps some kind of autopsy took place.
Further down are the final two which are close together.
They have turned rather bizarre hues of red and yellow with the decomposition further along for these animals.
While there was an understandable fascination and draw to get close to these incredible sperm whales shortly after their stranding, now they trigger feelings of horror.
They may still be recognisable but there is something alien now about their appearance.
They have been stripped of all dignity and beachgoers no longer want to get close.
In fact, most seem to hug the waterline in a bid to keep as far away as possible.
In the days after they died, the animals were bloated due to gasses in the body expanding, but they still remained majestic to look at.
Now, however, they are a much sadder and grimmer sight, albeit remaining remarkably intact two months on.
On December 24, the seven sperm whales died after they were stranded on the East Yorkshire coast, which represented the largest mass stranding event in England in more than a century.
Rob Deaville, of the Institute of
Zoology, also revealed the sperm whales beached on Christmas Eve between Withernsea and Tunstall is the second biggest in the whole of the UK since records began in 1913.
In a series of tweets, Mr Deaville has revealed more about the strandings and the state of the cetaceans.
He said: “This is the largest sperm whale mass stranding event documented in England and the second largest in the UK over the past century with data on UK strandings recorded by the Natural History Museum from 1913 and by the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) since 1990.
“They are all juvenile males between 11m and 13m in length, as with nearly every other UK stranded sperm whale.”
Mr Deaville and colleagues were able to carry out an autopsy and discovered that the whales had not eaten for a while and one had possibly been struck by a vessel.
The North Sea is not normally an area they inhabit as the water is not deep enough for deep sea squid, which is their favourite food.
Mr Deaville said: “We have been able to access and examine stomachs in two of the stranded sperm whales with large quantities of squid beaks, but no evidence of recent feeding and no visible plastics or marine debris noted
“Deep parallel linear scars across the head of one animal consistent with a non-fatal vessel interaction. Interesting that even in deep diving offshore species, evidence of our activities and their impacts can still be seen.”
East Riding Council moved the whale that was close to Withernsea promenade, but the four whales in more isolated locations were left.
They have become a public health hazard as they decompose.
Shortly after the strandings people were warned they pose a danger, particularly to children.
But those warning are hardly necessary now. The novelty has worn off and they have simply lost their aura.
The Crown Estate previously explained why the whales are simply being left.
The removal of the cetaceans has been deemed “practically very difficult” due to the lack of access from the cliffs.
The Crown Estate says the area is largely inaccessible which means removing the whales would be a logistical nightmare.
The decaying bodies are now simply a macabre reminder of their heartbreaking death and a deeply sad end to the lives of such fascinating and mysterious mammals.