20 whales wash up on beach, die
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) - May 21, 2008 Villagers living nearby said the whales were spotted late
Tuesday night, veering closer and closer to the shore. By Wednesday
morning many of them were beached. An Associated Press photographer
counted at least 20 bodies, each the size of an adult man. It was
not immediately known what type of whales they were.
Children waded into the water, trying to shoo away other whales
trying to swim ashore. Fishermen tied a cable to one of the beached
whales and used a wooden boat to tow it out to sea.
Some people placed a roller used to move boats under the body of
another whale and tried to push it toward the water. But they gave
up when they realized the whale was nearing death.
When it was clear that many were dead, children began playing
with the bodies, jumping up and down on the carcasses and using
them as slides. Some villagers began cutting pieces off one of the
dead whales, saying they planned to use the blubber for massage
oil.
Officials could not immediately be reached for comment. People
living near the beach said they had never experienced anything of
this kind before.
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Associated Press photographer Rebecca Blackwell contributed to
this report.
