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An adult sperm whale was found stranded in the Seine mouth on Friday, November 25, 2016 downstream to Port 2000, Le Havre. The carcass is still in place. Thieves have snatched or cut the ivory teeth. A biologist confirms that teeth are quickly stolen from the sperm whales carcasses after their stranding.
Stranded on November 25. Since then, all the teeth have disappeared.
© Maison de l’Estuaire
Such acts of poaching and desecration are increasing in Europe, Iceland and Canada. Each sperm whale has 20 to 25 conical teeth on its lower jaw. Some weigh as much as one kilo ; a kilo of ivory sells between 2000 and 5000 € on the black market.
This dreadful Christmas sperm whale present reminds us that the Channel and the North Sea waters have become hostile environments for cetaceans.
Stranded sperm whales in Europe and the Mediterranean since January 2016
Submarine acoustic chaos, collisions with ships and ingestion of plastic waste are the main causes of unnatural death for sperm whales.
Submarine noise pollutions come from dredging, ship engines, seismic research, military sonars and offshore industrial activities. Offshore wind farms are an additional source of disorientation for whales, sperm whales, killer whales and dolphins.
The autopsy of whales on the shore often reveals ingestion of plastic clusters and ropes.
Stranded whales carcasses are usually cut into slices and transported to renderers. Robin des Bois has been demanding for several years that marine mammals carcasses be towed and dumped at sea. Scientific research around the world shows that they become actual biological oasis for decades thus contributing to the improvement of marine ecosystems.
See also:
IWC comes to the aid of whales. October 27, 2016
On Whales and their Usefulness (pdf 20 pages 1Mo)
Imprimer cet article
