September 2nd, 2010
Watch: news video from Perth Now
Thanks to reader David R., we’ve learned about a stranded humpback whale that was euthanized via an explosive charge. The sick 31-foot, 12-ton whale had been stuck in Princess Royal Harbor in southwestern Australia for two weeks. Authorities imposed a 1-km exclusion zone around the whale before detonating a charge directly above the whale’s brain. Officials plan to bury the carcass.
Posted in Exploding Whales, Whales in General
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March 9th, 2009
According to Oregon state officials, dynamite is not an option being considered for how to dispose of a 40-foot fin whale carcass that washed up on an Oregon beach over the weekend.
The carcass came to rest on an easily-accessible beach just a few miles north of where a giant sperm whale corpse washed up in November, 1970. The Oregon Highway Division had responsibility for disposing of the whale at that time, and their thinking was evidently along the lines that a dead whale was probably a lot like a huge boulder blocking a road construction project. The decision to use dynamite to obliterate the rotting, stinking whale carcass is now stuff of legend.
Regrettably, cooler heads prevail at the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, upon which the responsibility for disposing of the rare 40-foot fin whale falls today:
“We normally bury animals like this on the coast,” said Chris Havel, a state parks spokesman. “But the sand there is so shallow that burying just isn’t an option. There are also archaeological sites we have to be sensitive to….”
“One of the options is to tow it offshore, but that will take some coordination and logistics,” Havel said.
Asked if dynamite was one of the possibilities being considered, Havel burst out laughing, then answered, “No.” (RG)
Update: The whale has been buried on the beach at Devil’s Elbow State Park:
Old whale removal technique: Stuff full of dynamite, blow to smithereens.
New whale removal technique: Dig whale-sized hole. Roll whale down beach. Push whale into hole.
The modern-day approach to cetacean disposal proved far less messy than the former on Monday afternoon, as state parks officials and a crew from Florence-based Leisure Excavating bulldozed a 55-foot fin whale into a crater at Devil’s Elbow State Park. (RG)
View a great video of the burial, courtesy of the Register-Guard.
External links:
Posted in Exploding Whales, Media Coverage, Oregon, Whales in General
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March 7th, 2009
The Sei fin whale observed struggling in the surf along the Oregon Coast on Friday, March 6, 2009, is believed to have died and washed up close to where officials lost sight of it late Friday afternoon.
Update: Biologists now believe that the 5040-foot whale that died along the Oregon Coast was, in fact, an endangered fin whale, not a Sei whale as originally reported. They also predict that the whale appeared undernourished and was probably chronically ill. A video report (in which it is still described as a Sei whale) is available. A more recent video is also available.
Parallels to Oregon’s infamous exploding whale are already being made, of course. However, state officials have indicated they have no intention of blowing up the carcass.
External links:
Posted in Oregon, Whales in General
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March 6th, 2009
A whale, possibly entangled in the line from a crab pot, is struggling in the surf near Florence, OR. Officials believe it is a Sei whale measuring between 40-50 feet.
Stay tuned for updates on this developing story….
Update: Watch video from KVAL in Eugene, OR.
Updates:
See “Fin whale perishes on Oregon Coast” for additional updates on this story.
External links:
Posted in Oregon, Whales in General
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December 13th, 2008
A British documentary titled “The Whale that Exploded in the Street,” will be airing in the United States on December 13 and 15 on the National Geographic channel (aka “NatGeo”) under the shortened title, “The Whale that Exploded.” The documentary explores the explosion of a 50-ton sperm whale carcass that was being transported through the Taiwan city of Tainan on a flatbed truck in January 2004. The explosion flooded a city street with gallons of blood and piles of intestines.
The documentary is of particular interest since the producers asked for permission to use screenshots of this website’s page documenting the event.
The show is schedule to air as part of NatGeo’s “Wild” series at the following times:
- December 13, 2008, at 8pm
- December 15, 2008, at 8am
See the the program’s page on the NatGeo TV website for more information.
Update: Monsters and Critics also a brief mention of the program.
Posted in Also of Interest, Exploding Whales, Media Coverage, Whales in General
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November 12th, 2008
Today, November 12, 2008, is the 38th anniversary of Oregon’s Exploding Whale. Some years this date almost passes by unnoticed. But not this year.
It is perhaps because the events of this day in 1970 stand in such dramatic contrast to the many truly serious events and changes currently taking place in the world — among them, global warming, ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, an international economic crisis, the lasting effects of the Bush presidency, and the hope for enduring change under an Obama presidency — that I was, ironically, compelled to lightheartedly celebrate this year’s Exploding Whale anniversary.
So, after you observe the requisite moment of silence for our beloved cetacean detonation, you need to the following:
- Go watch the original video. (Yeah, I know you’ve seen it before. Go watch it again — it’s a CLASSIC, remember?!?)
- Now, do something that really matters: go take a look around this interesting site: The World’s Biggest Problems created by The Arlington Institute.
As usual, I’ll update this post with any media coverage of the anniversary….
Happy Exploding Whale Day!
Posted in Announcements, Exploding Whales, Oregon
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