Pygmy blue whale washes ashore on West Coast
A 21.7-meter pygmy blue whale has washed ashore at Carters Beach in New Zealand. Local authorities are managing the site and planning to bury the carcass while warning the public to stay away due to health and legal concerns.
Why it matters
The stranding of such a large, rare marine mammal provides a significant opportunity for scientific research into the species and the cause of death.
A large pygmy blue whale has washed ashore at Carters Beach, near Westport.
Department of Conservation (DOC) acting operations manager Buller District Kushla Tapper said the whale was seen floating in the surf yesterday and beached today.
The pygmy blue whale is 21.7 metres long and it is believed to weigh about 20 tonnes.
Tapper said DOC staff had been in contact with local iwi to observe tikanga and decide the future of the whale's body.
"A lot of locals have come down to see this beautiful creature. It's unusual and impressive to have a whale of this size on the beach."
Tapper said the whale had recently died and its cause of death was not known. Tissue samples had been taken for future research.
DOC was working with contractors with diggers to bury the whale's body in the sand near the dunes.
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