by Martin Jefferies

The remains of an enormous whale that washed ashore in Kent
earlier this week have been removed.

The giant sperm whale – which measured almost 15 metres long and was nicknamed 'Bruce' by some KentOnline readers – died after becoming stranded at Pegwell Bay, near Ramsgate, on Thursday morning.

Since then, Thanet District Council, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the British Divers Marine Life Rescue,
as well as staff from the Zoological Society of London and the Natural History Museum, have been working round the clock to remove the whale.

Marine experts have also been dissecting the creature, which is
normally found at depths of at least 1,000 metres, at low
tides to learn more about it.

The whale was moved to an old hoverport site on Friday and has
now been removed from the shoreline altogether.

Richard Samuel, chief executive of Thanet council, said: "The
death of this wonderful marine animal on our shoreline is very sad
and has posed an unusual disposal situation for the council.

"The last occasion we had a big whale on our beaches was in the
mid 1990s but that was nowhere near as large.

"This is not something the council has to deal with every day
and I'd like to thank the experts who have given us advice on the
most dignified way to deal with this beautiful animal."

Mr Samuel also thanked members of the public for heeding police
advice and keeping to the cliff top.

Hundreds of onlookers have visited Pegwell Bay over the past three days to catch a glimpse of the whale, which is listed as 'vulnerable' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.