UPDATE ON WHALE AT PEGWELL BAY

People are being urged to stay away from a stretch of coastline at Ramsgate, where a whale was washed ashore.

The first reports came into Kent Police yesterday morning (Thursday 3 March) that the whale was beached at Pegwell Bay and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency subsequently confirmed it was dead.

The council is responsible for disposing of the whale and has been taking expert advice from the Institute of Zoology on the most humane way to do this. Initial attempts to remove it, using specialist equipment, were not successful.

However, experts have since been dissecting the creature to try and learn more about it and it is hoped that it will be moved from the beach later today, once the high tide recedes. (Friday 4 March)

The council is urging people to stay away from Pegwell Bay, because of the possible health risk, as it is thought diseases can be passed from whales to humans.

Cllr. Martin Wise, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, said: “The death of this wonderful marine animal on our shoreline is very sad, and has given an unusual disposal situation for the council. The last occasion we had a big whale on our beaches was in the mid 1990s, but that was not anywhere near as large. As such, we appreciate that people do naturally want to go down to Pegwell Bay and see this sight for themselves. However, the best thing people can do is stay away from the scene. Not only are there health risks from the whale, but the work to remove it and the tides make venturing down there dangerous.”

He added: “During the whole process, we are taking advice from experts about the best way to proceed. We can’t forget that this is a beautiful animal and we want to ensure that we remove it in the most dignified way possible.”