Humpback whale found dead on beach in northern Egypt

CAIRO – 19 February 2021: A 12-meter-long female humpback whale, listed as endangered in many communities, washed up Friday on a beach in the Mediterranean Sea in northern Egypt.

A committee formed of sea water experts moved to the scene in the northern governorate of Kafr El-Sheikh to examine the dead whale.

The female humpback whale weighed 12 tons, said the committee, adding that it clearly has been dead for a long period of time and has reached a degree of decomposition.

 

 

 

 

Last year, a large false killer whale, a member of the dolphin family, was found dead on beach in southern Red Sea city of Hurghada.

The toothed false killer whale is listed as "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

In 2019, a video went viral on social media showing a whale in Egypt’s Northern Coastal water, the Ministry of Environment assured the citizens that wales could be found in territorial water of North African Countries, especially in the summer.

“Whales are normally found in the Mediterranean and live in the territorial waters of most of the North African countries, including Egypt, as well as the coasts of European countries,” said the Ministry in a statement.

Whales are not predators but people should exercise vigilance and avoid the area of whale as the large ones move randomly when they feel human movements, the statement continued.