A 30 tonne dead whale washes up on a remote beach, why is there always a big drama with local authorities? Why not just let it decompose and get eaten and washed away by the tide?

Question

Another one today…and they are lifting it away to a landfill waste refuge site.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-56515194

In: Biology

Answer 1

You generally do not want a giant carcass decomposing in a public area. Aside from the health risks involved with it, whales will often explode violently as the gasses build up inside them. This will blast giant chunks of rancid meat and guts a pretty significant distance. Again, not something you want on a public beach.