Silverware Thief

Apparently, in some places explosives are used to dispose of dead whales.

If explosive charges will be used, the most common procedure today is to tow the whale out to see and then use whatever charges necessary to sink or disintegrate the whale. But back in November 1970 the Oregon Department of Transportation had a dead beached whale on their hands. Finding burying it impractical, they deemed blowing the dead whale to smithereens with half a ton of dynamite the best solution. One can detect a certain male type of thinking behind such reasoning.

The results were predictable. “The explosion caused large pieces of blubber to land some distance away from the beach, resulting in a smashed car. The explosion disintegrated only some of the whale, most of which remained on the beach for the Oregon Highway Division workers to clear away.”

Lest you think things can’t get any weirder, some dead whale explode naturally.

A second whale explosion occurred on January 26, 2004, in Tainan City, Taiwan. In this incident, a buildup of gas inside a decomposing sperm whale, measuring 17 m (55 ft 9 in) long and weighing 50 tons, caused it to burst. The older bull whale had died after becoming beached on the southwestern coast of Taiwan, and it had taken more than 13 hours, three large cranes, and 50 workers to shift the beached sperm whale onto the back of a truck.

While the whale was being moved Taiwan News reported that “a large crowd of more than 600 local Yunlin residents and curiosity seekers, along with vendors selling snack food and hot drinks, braved the cold temperature and chilly wind to watch workmen try to haul away the dead marine leviathan”

The result:

The explosion was reported to have splattered blood and whale entrails over surrounding shop-fronts, bystanders, and cars. BBC News Online interviewed an unnamed Taiwanese local who said, “What a stinking mess. This blood and other stuff that blew out on the road is disgusting, and the smell is really awful.”

Also, in another incident, “A stranded whale in Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, also decayed until it exploded. Locals say that its blubber ‘hung in the trees for weeks.’”

The moral of this story? Be very careful of dead whales. You never know when one might explode.

For further reading, and a disgusting picture from the Taiwan incident, head on over to Wikipedia.