Beached sperm whale on Rabbit Island may be left to rot after failed burial attempts

Thursday, 5 January 2017

A beached sperm whale lies dead after washing up on Rabbit Island, near Nelson in late 2016.

A sperm whale stranded near Nelson may be left to decompose on the beach after failed attempts to bury it.

The Department of Conservation has tried to move and bury the whale using two large diggers, but has so far been unsuccessful because of its 'immense size'.

DOC Motueka operations manager Chris Golding said the 18-metre, 50-tonne whale has been tethered to the beach in a tidal area near the Blind Channel end of Rabbit Island, west of Nelson.

The mouth of a dead sperm whale shows bleeding as it lay beached on Rabbit Island Beach.

'DOC staff are still considering options for disposing of the whale,' Golding said.

**READ MORE:

Onlookers inspect a dead Sperm Whale beached on Rabbit Island Beach in Tasman.

* Boat collision may have caused sperm whale beaching near Nelson

* Beached whale dies in Timaru despite rescue attempts

* Tail-less whale may have been left behind by pod

* Humpback whale with missing tail spotted near Kaikoura**

An onlooker walks past the dead sperm whale.

'One option being considered is to leave the whale tethered where it is to decompose naturally in the tide.

'This was done with three sperm whales that stranded in Golden Bay in November 2014. The whales were tethered off Farewell Spit and decomposed to bones within four weeks.'

The fully grown, male sperm whale was spotted swimming in Tasman Bay last Thursday and looked to be in poor health.

Sperm whales were normally found in waters of 1000 metres or deeper.

It was found stranded at Rabbit Island on Friday with thick abrasions on its skin.

Golding there was 'no obvious sign' of what caused its death.

Local iwi blessed the whale and removed its jawbone and teeth on Wednesday, as agreed under DOC protocols for management of stranded whales.

Golding said iwi regarded the jawbone and teeth as taonga (treasure). Maori traditionally fashioned whale jawbones into weapons, jewellery and other objects like combs and walking sticks.

Golding said the whale was about four kilometres from the main picnic and beach area on Rabbit Island in a location that has low public use.

He advised anyone going to look at the whale not to touch its decomposing carcass for health reasons.

People should also not remove any parts of its body as it is an offence to do so without a permit under the Marine Mammals Protection Act, Golding said.

Golding said causes of whale strandings can include sickness, navigational error, geographical features, a rapidly falling tide, being chased by a predator, or extreme weather.

'More than one factor may contribute to a stranding.'

Sperm whale strandings have occurred previously in Golden Bay. In the last 10 years, three sperm whales stranded on Rototai Beach in November 2014, and a sperm whale stranded at Puponga in January, 2008.

It's believed to be the first time a sperm whale has stranded at Rabbit Island in recent memory.