Dead whale washes up at Katwijk

A dead whale was discovered drifting in a channel, around 5 kilometers off the coast of Katwijk on Wednesday afternoon. The whale was moved by the Royal Netherlands Rescue Society (KNRM), and is now lying on the beach north of Scheveningen, according to a spokesperson, De Telegraaf reports. The whale was moved to the beach at low tide. At high tide, KNRM vehicles will move the animal further up the beach so that researchers from museum Naturalis can inspect the cadaver on Thursday. Finding whales in the North Sea is not uncommon, as minke whales and humpback whales do occur in these waters, but not in large numbers. Sometimes, a sperm whale is also spotted. The whale discovered off the coast of Katwijk seems to be a humpback. The 14-meter cadaver of the mammal will be inspected by researchers, after which it will have to be moved. "Rescue station KNRM Katwijk at the dead whale. Negotiating with Coast Guard what to do with the cadaver."

Reddingstation @KNRMKatwijk bij de dode walvis. Met @Kustwacht_NL overleg over wat te doen met kadaver. pic.twitter.com/ozCtWStApu

— KNRM (@KNRM) August 20, 2014

"KNRM busy securing cables around whale."

KNRM druk met vastmaken kabels aan net om walvis. pic.twitter.com/X1u1wn319W

— Bob van Keulen (@BobHGL) August 20, 2014