16-meter long whale found dead

LUANDA - A 16-meter long whale was found dead with an advanced state of decay on the Lobito coast of Angola's central Benguela province possibly due to collision with large ships shuttling in the region.

The sea mammal was washed ashore by waves and was spotted by  local fishermen in the early hours of Friday. The dead body of the whale was shedding bad smell liquids and blood that upset the local population, which prompted the  concerned authorities to remove and burry it to avoid health threats, the official news agency Angop said.

Kumbi Kilongo, Director of the Benguela Regional Center of the  Maritime Research Institute, said such occurrences in this period of a year was considered normal as whales and seals normally migrate from the southern region of South Africa up north due to climate condition and hunt for food, Angop said.

The official explained that the animal reached the coast dead probably as a result of a collision with a large ship that travel in the region in large numbers.  This is the third such occurrence, after two previous cases in  the year 2000, involving whales of considerable sizes.