Beached Whale To Be Buried This Week

The beached fin whale discovered in South Iceland last week will be buried this week, Sunnlenska reports.

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Local authorities say this decision was made to give people the chance to observe the whale one last time before its carcass is disappeared. In fact, municipal authorities from Ölfus, nearest to the location of the whale, specifically encouraged people to visit the site, especially as it beached itself at a rather accessible location.

The Grapevine visited the site last Saturday. Dozens of cars were parked at and around the nearby golf course, and families were in attendance, gathered around the whale to take photos or simply inspect the creature.

Of note is that it appears as though someone sawed off some of the whale’s baleen. For what purpose is a mystery.

As reported, there have been 83 whale beaching so far this year over 34 separate occasions. While not uncommon, it is unusual for a whale to beach itself at such an accessible location.