Fujairah: A dead whale believed to be 20 metres long has been found off the coast of Fujairah, an official said on Saturday.
The carcass was spotted by Fujairah port staff about 5km from the eastern emirate’s coast last week, Gulf News has learnt.
A port official said they towed the whale to the shore.
The whale had apparently been pushed into the emirate’s waters and towards the port area by strong sea currents.
While the cause of its death or species type was not disclosed, an official said the condition of the carcass suggested it may have been dead for at least several days.
Port staff informed the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and the local municipality.
Fujairah Municipality now plans to put the whale’s carcass and skeleton on separate display.
Mohammad Al Afkham, director-general of Fujairah Municipality, told Gulf News that the whale would be carefully mounted.
“We rarely get whales as big as this one on our coast, and we think displaying it in one place in the emirate is good for children and others to educate them about whales,” he said.
He said that they had faced some difficulties transporting the whale due to its length.
“We have instructions from Shaikh Mohammad Bin Hamad Bin Mohammad Al Sharqi, Fujairah Crown Prince, to take extra care since appearance of a whale carcass is rare in the emirate.”
The municipality has plans to set up a museum to display marine creatures.
Not a surprise
Different species of whales — the world’s largest mammals — have been spotted in the Sea of Oman, which is located on the UAE’s eastern coast.
These include Blue Whales, the largest animal ever known, Fin Whales, Sperm Whales, and Humpback Whales. In recent months, a growing number of Killer Whales — also known as orca — have been spotted off the cost of Oman’s Musandam Peninsula. The peninsula’s only land border is with the UAE.
