|
Published:
August 30, 2009
Body
of huge 10-metre whale spotted near Burnham-On-Sea
 The
body of this huge 10 metre long whale was spotted floating in
the River Parrett, near Burnham-On-Sea, on Sunday afternoon (August
30th).
Jet
skier Derek Jones and his son Sean, 12, from Bristol, spotted
the mammal drifting in the estuary at around 5pm between Combwich
and Burnham.
Derek
told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "We couldn't believe the size of
it - it was over 30ft and just huge."
"I've
been using this stretch of water for more than 30 years and have
never seen anything like it."
"We
tried to attach a rope to it to try and tow it onto the river
bank, but it kept slipping."
The
British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) group, an international
marine animal rescue organisation, was alerted to the sighting
and its spokesman Steve O'Connor advised that a lifeboat be launched
to check that the whale was fully dead.
 A
Burnham-On-Sea lifeboat crew went out to the channel between Steart
and Stert Island at approximately 6.20pm where the mammal was
confirmed to be dead.
Having
seen these exclusive photos of the mammal, BDMLR's Steve O'Connor
confirmed to Burnham-On-Sea.com: "This mammal is almost certainly
a minke whale, which are never seen in the Bristol Channel."
"We
have not had a sighting of one of these mammals in this area before,
so it is quite extraordinary."
 He
added: "If we get to these mammals in time, there is a good
chance of saving them, but unfortunately on this occasion there
was no life in the animal at all and it was not worth sending
our volunteers."
Meanwhile,
jet skier Derek Jones and his son Sean, pictured right, have had
a sighting they will never forget.
They
took a Burnham lifeguard out to see the mammal on Sunday evening
before the body was pulled out into the Bristol Channel by the
outgoing tide.
| 
