Whale’s body buried at rubbish tip
Health fears over rotting carcass at Balmedie
Published:
A MASSIVE sperm whale that washed up on Balmedie beach in Aberdeenshire has been buried at a rubbish tip near Peterhead as fears rose over risks to public health.
The massive sperm whale, which experts think died from breathing problems before beaching at Balmedie, was disposed of at Stoneyhill landfill in Longhaven, near Peterhead.
After a post mortem on the sperm whale was ruled out over fears it would create a health hazard, Aberdeenshire Council crews and private contractor Les Taylor were called in to remove the giant mammal from Balmedie beach.
An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman said a mobile crane was used to lift the sperm whale, which weighed around 30 tonnes, on to a lorry before taking it to Longhaven, near Peterhead, where it was lowered into and buried at the Aberdeenshire dump.
Experts said the sperm whale’s burial couldn’t have come soon enough, as its rotting carcass had been posing a dangerous health risk for people at Balmedie beach.
Stuart Lamb, whose father-in-law Alistair Brown raised the alarm about the whale beached at Balmedie, said he had seen the creature’s deterioration each day.
“The whale was really stinking,” said the 30-year-old Balmedie man. It was a horrible smell up and down the beach.”
Whale expert Kelvin Murray warned that the dead sperm whale’s body had remained a serious threat for as long as it remained on Balmedie beach.
Mr Murray also said that as gases built up inside the whale’s body at Balmedie it meant there was a risk of the whale exploding.
