Blue whale beaches in Africa 'for the first time EVER': Huge 60ft carcass washes up in Namibia

A blue whale, the biggest animal on Earth, has washed up in Africa for the first time in recorded history.  

Measuring 60ft (18.2m) long, the Antarctic blue whale drifted ashore in Namibia, 5,000 miles from its traditional feeding grounds, after it was mortally wounded in a suspected collision with a ship. 

The breached creature was pictured with a gruesome fin injury and was haemorrhaging blood in several places when it drifted ashore near Walvis Bay on Tuesday.

A blue whale, the biggest animal on Earth, has washed up in Africa for the first time in recorded history. The animal is believed to be 5,000 miles from its Antarctic feeding grounds

A blue whale, the biggest animal on Earth, has washed up in Africa for the first time in recorded history. The animal is believed to be 5,000 miles from its Antarctic feeding grounds

Namibian Dolphin Project (NPD) conservationist Simon Elwen said: ‘It’s the first stranding of this sub-species, the Antarctic blue whale, in southern Africa,

‘It’s probably the first in all of Africa, but I don’t have access to all relevant databases.’ 

He continued: ‘We are as confident as we can be without a full necropsy that the cause of death was a ship strike. 

‘It looks like the ship hit the flank, then the animal was rolled and the fin was broken too. It likely died very quickly.’ 

As a species, blue whales can reach nearly 100ft (30 metres) long and weigh up to 150,000kg (150 tonnes) – suggesting that this animal was a juvenile. 

Measuring 60ft long, the Antarctic blue whale drifted ashore in Namibia, 5,000 miles from its traditional feeding grounds on Tuesday

Measuring 60ft long, the Antarctic blue whale drifted ashore in Namibia, 5,000 miles from its traditional feeding grounds on Tuesday

The breached animal was mortally wounded in a suspected collision with a ship before it drifted ashore near Walvis Bay, Namibia

The breached animal was mortally wounded in a suspected collision with a ship before it drifted ashore near Walvis Bay, Namibia

Blue whales are classified as endangered and their numbers have dwindled to less than one per cent of what they were before commercial whaling began

Blue whales are classified as endangered and their numbers have dwindled to less than one per cent of what they were before commercial whaling began

Bridget James, who measured the mammal for the NDP, said: ‘This is the first blue whale I’ve ever seen and it’s incredibly sad to see such a large, young animal dead from human actions.’   

However, Tess Gridley – a scientist representing the NDP and its parent organisation, Sea Search – said there was also reason to be encouraged. 

Blue whales are classified as endangered and their numbers have dwindled to less than one per cent of what they were before commercial whaling began.   

But, Dr Gridley, a British expat living in South Africa, believes the stranding could be a sign of population growth. 

‘Research in the Antarctic has revealed the population of blue whales is increasing,’ she said. 

‘Acoustic monitoring of whales off northern Namibia and west of Cape Town has detected regular blue whale calls during these winter months, mostly from May to July. So this is overall good news for the population.’ 

She added: ‘It’s very difficult to prevent ship strikes from occurring, particularly in areas close to ports and shipping routes. 

‘Unfortunately, where humans and whales overlap there is always a chance for impact. It is still unusual, but direct strikes have been seen more often recently.’ 

As a species, blue whales can reach nearly 100ft (30 metres) long and weigh up to 150,000kg (150 tonnes) – suggesting that this animal was a juvenile

As a species, blue whales can reach nearly 100ft (30 metres) long and weigh up to 150,000kg (150 tonnes) – suggesting that this animal was a juvenile

The species is known to travel north away from its Antarctic feeding grounds when it is winter in the southern hemisphere, but it is still rare to see a blue whale so close to the shore

The species is known to travel north away from its Antarctic feeding grounds when it is winter in the southern hemisphere, but it is still rare to see a blue whale so close to the shore

Dr Elwen said there was rising concern around this issue, especially near the busy ports of South Africa. 

He said he was especially worried about ship strikes ‘around Durban, Cape Town and Saldanha, where were have very large numbers of humpback whales seasonally.’  

Local authorities are planning to remove the blue whale from Walvis Bay but have not yet decided how to do so. 

Blue whales are usually found well offshore, so its unclear why this one came close to land. 

However, the species is known to travel north away from its Antarctic feeding grounds when it is winter in the southern hemisphere. 

The NDP has taken a range of samples from the whale for further analysis. 

Dr Gridley said: ‘We are currently fundraising to support our education and outreach officers, and to continue our conservation work – please do consider supporting us.’ 

Local authorities are planning to remove the blue whale from Walvis Bay but have not yet decided how to do so. The NPD have taken samples for analysis

Local authorities are planning to remove the blue whale from Walvis Bay but have not yet decided how to do so. The NPD have taken samples for analysis

source: dailymail.co.uk