Dead whale washes up on beach in Panama

Panama City, Jun 16 (EFE).- A dead whale in an advanced state of decomposition appeared Thursday on a beach in the old quarter of the Panamanian capital.

Experts from the Environment Ministry (Miambiente) cordoned off the area to keep away the curious as well as animals that might feast on the carcass.

“It’s a very striking event” and a potential “risk to public health,” Lissette Trejos, a veterinarian with Miambiente’s marine division, told Efe.

Pending determination of the cause of death, authorities want to make sure stray dogs or other animals don’t consume flesh that could potentially carry disease, she said.

The whale was spotted on the beach following several days of higher-than-normal tides.

Given the “gelatinous” state of the carcass, Miambiente has decided to leave the whale where it is and allow nature to take its course, Trejos said.

Burying the whale on the beach is not a viable option, she said, as the sand is too shallow. EFE gf-cl/dr