Picture: Brett Lewis

by Mary Louis

mlouis@thekmgroup.co.uk

A whale found stranded on a beach in Kent died of starvation, early post mortem results have revealed.

Scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) carried out a full post-mortem on the juvenile male whale that was discovered washed up on the beach at Pegwell Bay, near Ramsgate, on Thursday.

Rob Deaville, project manager, said: "Preliminary results from the post-mortem examination indicate that the whale had not fed for a long time, suggesting it had become dehydrated which most likely played a role in its live stranding. Further tests will now be carried out to determine the full picture".

ZSL scientists liaised with the local coastguard, police and British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDML) throughout the procedure.

A TV documentary crew was also invited to film the post-mortem as part of an ongoing natural history series.

Council bosses have promised to dispose of the dead whale in a "dignified" manner once testing is complete.

It comes after KentOnline revealed the stricken mammal could be chopped up and buried in a landfill site.

That was one option being considered by experts at the scene on Friday.

Thanet council has been charged with disposing of the whale's body.

Cllr Martin Wise, cabinet member for environmental services, said: "The death of this wonderful marine animal on our shoreline is very sad, and has given 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 not anywhere near as large.

"As such, we appreciate that people do naturally want to go down to Pegwell Bay and see this sight for themselves.

"However, the best thing people can do is stay away from the scene.

"Not only are there health risks from the whale, but the work to remove it and the tides make venturing down there dangerous."

He added: "During the whole process, we are taking advice from experts about the best way to proceed.

"We can't forget that this is a beautiful animal and we want to ensure that we remove it in the most dignified way possible."

Pictures above: Brett Lewis

Work to try and move the 13 metre long sperm whale have been hampered both by the tides and the difficulty of getting equipment onto the seafront.

A 360 degree digger was sent to the site but couldn't move the mammal because it got submerged in sand.

The animal, thought to weigh about five tons, is believed to have been alive but "on its last legs" when it grounded near the Pegwell Bay Hotel at high tide on Thursday morning.

Crowds gathered at the scene, including amateur snapper Matt Murphy.

He said: "I ran down from my work at Cliffsend right next to the old Hover Port with my camera."

The creature is understood to have been spotted by a dog walker at first light who contacted the coastguard.

Pegwell Bay whale is examined. Picture: Matt Murphy

They would be assisted by BDMLR, take samples and enter information onto a database.

He said it was extremely unusual for this "at risk" species to come ashore or be found in shallow waters.

Adult sperm whales are the deepest diving mammals, they can reach three kilometres and stay under for up to 90 minutes.

A rescue team was mustered including coastguards, police and members of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).

Jon Brooks, who works with BDMLR in Thanet, confirmed the animal had died - he initially thought it was possibly due to an illness.

Beached whale at Pegwell Bay. Picture: Simon Steven

Mr Brooks said: "It is very unusual to get whales washed up on beaches, especially of this size, there has not been one like this since the early 1990s.

"The normal causes are infection or injury following a collision with a boat which does not appear to be the cause with this whale because there are no signs of damage."

Mr Brooks said it was important that people stayed away from the dead whale because there was a chance of infection.

Coastguard Pete Overton said the incidents of beaching of cetaceous species, including whales, dolphins and porpoises, were becoming more frequent around Kent.

Animals like the sperm whale tended only to get washed up when they were terminally ill which affected their ability to navigate.

He said: "They are then very unlikely to get back out to sea, they either die on the beach or are euthanased by a vet."

Once the post mortem on this animal is complete, its body will be disposed of by Thanet council.

The last incident of a larger whale being washed up at Pegwell was a killer whale, dubbed Peggy, in the 1990s, who died after coming ashore.

The reason for more beachings of cetaceans was not clear. It was possible pollution played a part or that noise generated by increased shipping disturbed the animals sonar navigation systems.

Mr Overton said harbour porpoises were extremely common in local waters. There was also a large colony of seals off Margate.

Have you seen the whale? Send your snaps to multimediadesk@thekmgroup.co.uk or call 01634 227 834.