Closed Nature Park Leaves Blue Whale To Rot On Beach

Managers of a nature park in Mexico plan to leave the rotting corpse of this 20-metres (66 feet) beached whale which they would otherwise be forced to move because there are no tourists around anyway.

Local media reported that villagers of the Lagunas de Chacahua National Park in the municipality of Villa de Tututepec de Melchor Ocampo in the state of Oaxaca in south-western Mexico found the dead Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) on Tuesday afternoon.

According to the Civil Protection Office of la Villa de Tututepec, the dead whale was in an advanced state of decomposition. They believe it might have died two days before and was later washed onto the beach by the strong sea currents.

Credit: Newsflash/Proteccion Civil de la Villa de Tututepec
The stranded blue whale on the beach of Chacahua

The snaps show the enormous dead body of the whale with a reddish skin colour reportedly due to the decomposition.

Reports said that the dead whale was found 7 kilometres (4 miles) away from the closest human population and there are no tourists around anyway as the nature park remains closed to visitors because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Federal Attorney for the Protection of the Environment of Oaxaca (PROFEPA) informed that they will leave the dead whale to rot on the beach as the risk of infections is very low due to the lack of human presence in the area.

Credit: Newsflash/Proteccion Civil de la Villa de Tututepec
The stranded blue whale on the beach of Chacahua

The subdelegate of PROFEPA in Oaxaca Hector Hugo Miranda told local media: “Only locals can reach this place, there is no tourism now because of the pandemic, everything is in our favour so we can leave it there as it is a very big animal.”

The Civil Protection Office of la Villa de Tututepec has warned locals not to go close to the animal as it might be a source of infection.

The blue whale is in the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as an endangered species due to the threat of fishing and habitat alteration because of Global Warming, with an estimated worldwide population of between 5,000 and 15,000 adult specimens.

Credit: Newsflash/Proteccion Civil de la Villa de Tututepec
The stranded blue whale on the beach of Chacahua

To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: Jonathan MaciasSub-EditorMichael Leidig, Agency:  Newsflash

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