Giant sperm whale on Ballycroy beach will not be buried

RARE SIGHT?Pictured beside the Sperm Whale that went aground on Dooriel Beach, Ballycroy, were, from left: Pamela, Leona, Clodagh, Elisha Ann and Aisling Ginty from Ballycroy.?Pic: Michael McLaughlin

Giant sperm whale on Ballycroy beach will not be buried


Áine Ryan

A GIANT sperm whale will not be buried by Mayo County Council on the Ballycroy beach where it was washed-up, The Mayo News has learned. The almost 50-foot (14.6 metres) mammoth mammal, which has a four-metre wide tail fluke, was discovered by a local boatman at Dooriel Beach on Sunday, February 9 last.
Speaking to The Mayo News last night, Mr Martin Keating of Mayo County Council, confirmed he had been in consultation with the NPWS (National Parks and Wildlife Services).
Mr Keating said: “Contrary to reports, Mayo County Council has no plans to bury this whale as there is a significant logistical exercise involved in this instance. It is stranded on a very rocky beach which is over a kilometre from a public road and is also away from local houses.”
“ The circumstances are significantly different than in the case of the fin whale which was washed up on Keel beach before Christmas,” Martin Keating added.
On Christmas Eve a 20-metre-long fin whale live-stranded on Keel Beach on Achill Island but it died within a few hours. Due to the popularity of the beach, its proximity to local houses and a public roadway, Mayo County Council subsequently buried it.
Meanwhile, Mr Denis Strong of the NPWS has confirmed the male sperm whale at Ballycroy was not fully grown, since such whales can reach 60ft.  A deep gash on the whales back has caused speculation it may have been struck by a ship in rough seas and died some days before it was beached.
It is very unusual for sperm whales to come into these waters. Reportedly, the last time a sperm whale was stranded on the Mayo coastline was at Ballycastle in the late 1980s.
Sperm whales are easily identifiable by their huge heads and prominent foreheads. Experts say they have the largest brain of any creature known to have lived on Earth.