Sperm Whale beached at Ring peninsula

ComeraghBlue

Hi

Wlr fm reporting that the sperm whale who nearly beached in co Wexford last night has no beached at ring co Waterford

Anyone Know exactly where?

SteelyDanJalapeno

Sperm

ComeraghBlue

I'm hearing that's it's exact location is the Cunnigar

SteelyDanJalapeno

ComeraghBlue wrote: »

I'm hearing that's it's exact location is the Cunnigar

Where bouts is that? i'm gonna be coming from Cork to Carrick on suir later, wouldnt mind popping in for a gander!

Edit, just found it on the maps,

Mugser

Where about is it? maps link..?

MitchKoobski

They were looking for it last night until late and then had to stop, looks like it finally beached.

Mugser

http://www.zoofs.com/v/evkLNxZgbsk

loveisdivine

It is currently still alive.

I hope not too many people show up, its a difficult task as it is without a large gathering watching every move.

The only option is to euthanise the whale as a whale that large cannot be refloated and as far as I know the only way to successfully euthanise a whale that size is a controlled explosion to the head.
Not something you really wanna witness.

check the iwdg website for updates.

Finnbar01

Just heard on WLR that it has beached near Ring and there is nothing that can be done for it.

ComeraghBlue

http://twitpic.com/68gdi2

http://twitpic.com/68hh84

Pictures above is the sperm whale at The Cunniger

Mountainsandh

It's very sad, I have pics of it too for anyone interested :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38994151@N03/

Loveisdivine, I think it's good that people go and see it though, I know it might make the work of the Dolphin and Whale people a bit harder, but although it's very sad, it might help children understand what it is we're talking about when we are telling them to "save the ocean". And grown ups too.

loveisdivine

Mountainsandh wrote: »

It's very sad, I have pics of it too for anyone interested :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38994151@N03/

Loveisdivine, I think it's good that people go and see it though, I know it might make the work of the Dolphin and Whale people a bit harder, but although it's very sad, it might help children understand what it is we're talking about when we are telling them to "save the ocean". And grown ups too.

Yeah you're right. I didn't think of it that way. Sometimes I imagine the worst when really I should give people a chance! Ya know what it's like though, there's always some moron that wants to get in there sit on it and take pictures or something awful like that.

At least some can learn from it. And we can learn more about the sperm whale from it's remains.

Trotter

I've heard before that they sometimes beach themselves when they're very ill. Something very sad about watching a giant like that so helpless.

Roanmore

Trotter wrote: »

I've heard before that they sometimes beach themselves when they're very ill. Something very sad about watching a giant like that so helpless.

Think you might be right there, I was talking to somebody who was there yesterday and apparently this this the third time the whale has beached itself:(

deman

Looks to me like it's just a baby. Pity.

Mountainsandh

loveisdivine wrote: »

Yeah you're right. I didn't think of it that way. Sometimes I imagine the worst when really I should give people a chance! Ya know what it's like though, there's always some moron that wants to get in there sit on it and take pictures or something awful like that.

At least some can learn from it. And we can learn more about the sperm whale from it's remains.

Well on the other hand you're right, I've some friends on Facebook posted pics of themselves and kids posing beside it like they've won the lottery or something

I mean don't want to act the drama queen either, but it didn't occur to me to pull my kids into the shots and it didn't occur to them to smile and pose there either.

But I have to say, I didn't see anyone touching the animal, and the group around when I was there was fairly subdued and respectful.

Smiley Burnett

i saw kids attempting to climb on the whale whilst their parents looked on. i saw a man poke a muddy/sandy boot into an open wound on the whale.

ComeraghBlue

It died overnight

eeloe

I went out @4am when i was finished work.

At that time i was informed by the person working for the whale and dolphin group that he was infact dead.

Such a tragedy to see such a massive creature so helpless, unfortunately some little animal decided it would be funny to try and remove some of the whales teeth, i just really hope the whale was dead when he tried to remove them, as i'd imagine he was in enough pain to begin with!

probably a once in a lifetime opportunity to get so close to a creature of that size, which is the ONLY reason i went out to see it!

Dermo123

eeloe wrote: »

I went out @4am when i was finished work.

At that time i was informed by the person working for the whale and dolphin group that he was infact dead.

Such a tragedy to see such a massive creature so helpless, unfortunately some little animal decided it would be funny to try and remove some of the whales teeth, i just really hope the whale was dead when he tried to remove them, as i'd imagine he was in enough pain to begin with!

probably a once in a lifetime opportunity to get so close to a creature of that size, which is the ONLY reason i went out to see it!

When I was there at 2 PM the whale and dolphin group researchers were taking various tissue samples from the whale and also removing some teeth. Maybe it was them that had removed the teeth earlier when you saw it???

Ricardo G

My God, this creature attracted some attention, i was their yesterday @ 3pm and they're were hundreds coming and going. In fairness the civil defense had cordened off the area so it was'nt possible for anyone to touch the mamal. Mind you the amount of irresponsible dog owners who had let their dogs off leashes to urinate on the poor thing was rediculous. I have seen a few dolphins and whales beached around the south east over the last 20 years and they never fail to impress me with they're sheer size. Lovely creatures

Mugser

Dermo123 wrote: »

When I was there at 2 PM the whale and dolphin group researchers were taking various tissue samples from the whale and also removing some teeth. Maybe it was them that had removed the teeth earlier when you saw it???

That's how to do research, wait till the poor animal dies of natural causes.
unlike the idea of research these fookers have:

Plug

Why does his head have big scratch marks on it? Rocks maybe or scumbags?

Mountainsandh

Nah, I think they all get big scratches like that when they strand themselves, rocks allright.

Trotter

http://www.wlrfm.com/news-and-sport/waterford-news/102554.html

According to WLR, the whale is being disposed of tomorrow at a rendering plant in the city..

My curiosity says.. How do they get it off the beach and what will they do to 'render' it??

My stomach says.. Get over it and watch the Rose of Tralee before I hurl.

Poor Uncle Tom

What an absolutely majestic creature in its own environment to being a pitiful sight breathing its last on that lonely sand spit and now that life has left its carcass it's just an item of waste that needs to be removed.

Time, the enemy of all life.

Mountainsandh

Well, I facebooked some friends who live in Helvick that article :
http://www.iwdg.ie/article.asp?id=2481

No decision has been taken as to what will happen to the carcass, but as the people of Kilbrittain, West Cork have shown, something very positive can come out of this situation if the skeleton can be retrieved as a local visitor/educational attraction. It is in our opinion a wasted opportunity when these magnificent specimens are simply hauled off for incineration. Do the people of Ring, Helvic, or Dungarvan have the energy and vision to take on what can be a long, arduous, smelly but ultimately rewarding task? Just check out the facebook page of Kilbrittain Whale, or it can be found through the IWDG's facebook page. It's worth remembering that this sperm whale is relatively small at just 35ft, the fin whale in Kilbrittain was 65ft length!

I know if anything like that happened in my area myself and Mr Mountainsandh would probably "go for it" and take part in cleaning it up, but it seems Helvick/An Rinn people must be too busy or not interested. A smelly and disgusting job, but what an opportunity though, now the poor thing is gone it wouldn't make a difference to it anyway.

I think it's an awful shame it will just be disposed of.

wagtail99

The whale has now been removed

Big Lar

Buried ?
Burned ?
Sold to the Japanese for burgers ?

How did they get rid of it ?

marlin vs

Big Lar wrote: »

Buried ?
Burned ?
Sold to the Japanese for burgers ?

How did they get rid of it ?

They took it away in a whale barrow.:D

MitchKoobski

marlin vs wrote: »

They took it away in a whale barrow.:D