Rui Minderico/Lusa
Whale washed ashore on Saturday in the Setúbal area.
Animal “in a high state of decomposition” arrived on the coast near the Cecil cement factory. Authorities are trying to remove it from the rocks, “if in the meantime the sea does not wash it away.”
A whale washed ashore on Saturday in the Setúbal area, and authorities are still trying to remove the animal’s body from the site, the local port commander said on Tuesday.
“The Maritime Police is evaluating with the ICNF (Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation) and now with the municipal services of the Chamber [de Setúbal] for the attempted removal, if the sea does not take it in the meantime”, the commander of the Port of Setúbal, Marco Augusto, told Lusa.
According to the person also responsible for the Setúbal Maritime Police, the whale’s body, “in high state of decomposition”, stood boldly in a stone area, next to the Cecil cement factory.
“Now we have to take steps to remove the animal from there. In other words, the entities are under evaluation”, he highlighted.
Although it is not very common, whales wash up on the Portuguese coast with some frequency. In August last year, a whale calf washed up on Praia da Vieira, in Leiria. In January 2016, for example, a 10-ton whale washed ashore near Carcavelos beach, with the Cascais Chamber having to spend 20 thousand euros on the operation to remove the animal.
