Whale carcass washes ashore on remote German island

Another dead whale has stranded on a German North Sea island, a spokeswoman for the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park Administration in Wilhelmshaven told dpa on Friday.

The agency is investigating reports of the discovery on the uninhabited island of Minsener Oog in the Wadden Sea after an aerial photograph taken from a helicopter on Thursday showed a black whale lying on the sand.

The animal in the photo from Thursday is almost certainly a humpback whale, said the national park spokeswoman, pointing to a comparatively round mouth and a distinctive white fluke. She said that experts from the national park and a veterinarian had examined the photo.

The spokeswoman said that they are investigating whether and how experts can gain access to the discovery site on the uninhabited and remote island, which lies west of the mouth of the Jade and east of the island of Wangerooge, around four kilometres from the mainland.

Bird protection has priority on the island and access is not permitted. The island has been part of the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park since 1986.

If the carcass remains on the island, there is no reason for the national park to take any action or move the animal, said the spokeswoman.

It would be a different case if the tides moved the carcass and the animal was possibly a danger to shipping while floating in the water, in which case the German Waterways and Shipping Administration would need to make a determination for action.