The remains of a 50-tonne fin whale, which washed up on a private beach near Ballinskelligs in Co Kerry earlier this summer, have finally been buried. Samples taken from the whale will form part of a bio-bank of whale material available to research students.
There had been calls to preserve the carcass of the 19-metre young male mammal so it could become a tourist or natural attraction. However, access to the beach, along with the logistics of trying to preserve it, and its state of decomposition, were too challenging.
The whale had most likely been dead for a week at sea before ending up on Baile Uí Chuill Strand on July 8th. Its cause of death has not been determined. The remains were first spotted by Dublin woman Frances O’Hare, who was staying at a holiday home beside the beach.
It was not possible to do a full postmortem on the mammal because of the expense and also the need to bring heavy machinery, ladders and other equipment to the scene. Samples of blubber, baleen, and skin were taken.
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This material has been preserved for later analysis, and the Ballinskelligs whale is now part of “a bio-bank of samples” which will help future research. It should help inform what the whale had been feeding on and where he might have travelled, said Stephanie Levesque, strandings officer with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.
The disposal of the whale also proved a challenge because of the narrow nature of the road to the secluded strand. While it became tourist attraction for a while after its find, with traffic building up as visitors tried to catch sight of the huge animal, the smell and the build up of gasses was of concern to the authorities and to locals.
Towing out to sea, burial on spot, removal, leaving it where it is or burning were all considered, before Kerry County Council confirmed this week the whale has been buried at Baile Uí Chuill Strand.
“The remains of the whale were recently buried close to the location where it was washed up. Because of the large size of the carcass and the relatively inaccessible location, there was widespread consultation with experts as well as the landowner to identify a suitable solution. There was agreement that burying the remains on site was the best option from a safety and logistical perspective,” a spokesman said.