Swimmers warned to stay away from Queensland beach after sad find

Swimmers are being warned to stay away from a popular Queensland beach after a dead whale washed up.

Rangers are still determining how to move the massive humpback after the sad discovery yesterday at Inskip Point in the state’s southeast.

In the meantime, swimmers are being urged by the Department of Environment (DES) to stay away and not touch the carcass as it could be carrying a disease. Images supplied by the agency show small groups of onlookers curiously inspecting the animal.

“Strandings can happen for many different reasons, including natural mortality, and can occur anywhere along the Queensland coast. Whales can also die at sea and remain unseen by the public,” a spokesperson said.

“If a whale is stranded in shallow water, be wary of entering the water, as sharks may be around or the whale could move and injure you. Look after your own safety first.”

How will they move the massive dead whale?

When whales die at sea their carcasses can last for decades. They are initially torn apart by hungry sharks and seabirds, and then slowly sink many kilometres to the ocean floor. The body can then support an entire ecosystem of deep sea creatures including worms and bacteria.

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DES said it is considering towing the animal out to sea using a boat and then securing it to mangroves in the Sandy Strait. Using a large truck to move it offsite and bury it is one possible solution.

“Rangers are considering a preferred option of transporting the whale for burial and land disposal, however due to the steep dunes and the whale’s size and location, this may be problematic,” a spokesperson said.

Authorities in 1970 decided to blow up beached whale

Much has been learned about whale disposal in recent decades. In 1970, Oregon officials used a half-tonne of dynamite to blow up an eight-tonne whale carcass that had washed up on a beach.

The incident was filmed by local news station KATU-TV, which reported officials had hoped the blast would destroy most of the carcass and seagulls and crabs would clean up the rest.

“I’m confident that it will work, the only thing is we’re not sure just exactly how much explosives it’ll take to disintegrate this thing,” George Thornton from the state’s highway division told reporters prior to the detonation.

Spectators flee as flesh falls from the sky

Rotting flesh was projected across the beach and even onto a car 400 metres away. Not only did the explosion fail to disintegrate most of the flesh, its noise also scared away the birds.

“Pieces of meat passed high over our heads while others were falling from our feet. The dunes were rapidly evacuated as spectators escaped both the falling debris and the overwhelming smell,” a KATU-TV reporter said.

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