A Whale Carcass Has Run Aground In Álftanes

A dead whale has run aground in Álftanes this morning, reports Vísir. The police, Marine Reasearch Institute and Environment Agency have all been notified of the incident, and the carcass will be examined tomorrow.

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The whale is believed to be a baleen whale, a broad classification of some 16 species of whale. Scientists aim to determine the age and species of the whale tomorrow. They will also take samples of the animal and examine those later.

According to Guðbrandur Örn Arnarson from the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue, rescue teams aren’t needed in this case, since the whale isn’t alive. Rescue teams have sometimes taken part in trying to bring living whales back to the sea.

Several people have visited the carcass this morning. They don’t seem to mind the yellow banner which the police have set up next to the whale, advising people to stay at a distance from the carcass. According to Vísir, the visitors have both touched and smelled the animal lying on the shore.