Whale carcass washes up on south-central Vietnam shore
Wednesday, February 14, 2024, 08:22 GMT+7
Locals in Van Ninh District under Khanh Hoa Province, located in south-central Vietnam, discovered the whale carcass of nearly one metric ton in weight washed ashore on Tuesday morning.
The remains, found on Hon Gam Beach in Van Thanh Commune, were quickly buried following local customs, said an official from the commune’s administration.
Dinh Van No, a 67-year-old resident of Dam Mon Village in the commune, said that the whale was stranded on the beach and died at 5:30 am on the same day.
The whale was measured at 4.5 meters in length.
The animal is worshiped as ‘Lord Whale’ by locals, so after the whale was found dead, residents promptly hosted elaborate burial ceremonies, No said.
Three years after the burial, the whale skeleton will be restored and put in the whales’ temple for worship.
Whale deaths are believed to bring luck to fishermen and residents living near the sea, No added.
The leader of the Van Thanh Commune said that locals often discover the carcasses of whales on Hon Gam Beach.
When a dead whale washes ashore, inhabitants of the coastal village will gather to conduct funeral services and pay tribute to the whale.
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