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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-27210992

" 29 April 2014 Last updated at 13:04 ET
Dead blue whale 'might explode' in Newfoundland town

The residents of a town on Canada's Newfoundland island fear a blue whale carcass that washed up on its boardwalk last week could explode at any time.

The 25m (81ft) whale on Trout River's rocky beach is one of several believed to have died in heavy ice weeks ago.

Town Clerk Emily Butler says the body is bloated with methane gas caused by decomposition and will soon reek, regardless of whether it explodes.

Local and federal authorities disagree which are responsible for its disposal.

Ms Butler said the town of 600 people did not have the resources to deal safely with the carcass, though Canadian officials say it is their responsibility.

She told broadcaster NTV that if the town were to push the whale out to sea, it could pose a hazard to passing ships.

The whale appears to have bloated beyond twice its normal size

The town, a tourist destination inside Gros Morne National Park on the Canadian island's west coast, has seen a new type of visitor since the whale carcass came ashore.

"It's very difficult to keep people away, simply because it's not too often that you see a blue whale," Ms Butler told broadcaster CBC.

Last year a sperm whale carcass that washed up on the Faroe Islands exploded as a biologist attempted to dissect it."

Would that be a smelly one or what?

My $.02.

;)

RANT IMMINENT

Sorry, I just don't understand why you would add My $.02.

;)
at every post. Do you just want to avoid people getting offended at your posts or what?

Maybe it's his signature. He got used to it.

yep, i was scrolling through dutchman's history and saw he got into more than 1 argument because of it, and thus was curious.

Feel free to rant away!

It's good both for the soul and your post count!

My $.02.

;)

They've exploded before. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X0hq0ug9q4

Oh, I don't argue about it anymore.

I just do it.

My $.02.

;)

Maybe they are trying to make a statement of some kind?

And what statement would that be exactly?

Yeah, I had forgotten about that one!

Some wild stuff, eh, what?

My $.02.

;)

poor thing its very sad to know that animals need to suffer for that kind of things

Horrible video. Anyway... in this case the whale was just around 5 m long. The one which washed up at New Foundland is almost 5 times longer than that. Also, there is a real danger of methane catching fire.

Since it's already perished, how about someone shooting the bulge from a distance? That would relieve pressure and allow it to be hauled off or dragged out to sea to feed other carnivorous fish.

Good ideas but I claim the movie and book rights!

My $.02.

;)

Or bury it. That is what has been done in many of these cases. Certainly the methane should be expelled, but the carcass can be buried and allowed to decompose naturally without the stench on open land or the hazard of putting it back in the water - not only is it a physical hazard but it will foul the water as well - especially near the beach.

There is no real hazard to towing it out to sea.  I mean , that is where most whales die anyway.  Put a marker bouy on it so it doesn't get run over by ships or boats and natural decomposition and scavengers will take care of it in short order.

My $.02.

;)

I remember pictures of an exploding whale long ago in the internet. Really was something that I don't wanted to be near to see., but i tought that would be a one life happening.

I love how these people are worried it may explode anytime soon but are standing next to it taking pictures.

In Oregon they deal with dead whales in a more heroic fashion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVVW8BferzQ

DYNAMITE

(wondering why nobody linked this already:))

Maybe they like to live dangerously. Probably the worst that could happen is they get covered in smelly whale guts and knocked off their feet  :D.

and i dont like to see that kind of thing even in pictures because im sure it will only break my heart seeing a poor whale exploded because of some gas or chemicals  :-\

I saw videos of exploding whales in the past, it's due to the huge amount of gases that get stored due to decomposition, it's quite impressive, someone almost died due to it

Those are the gases of natural decomposition.

My $.02.

;)