Hope fades for stranded whale in Danish fjord

[June 17, 2010]  COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- A marine expert says he fears a fin whale stranded in a shallow fjord in western Denmark will soon die.

Biologist Anders Kofoed said Thursday that the 30-ton baleen whale was probably in a state of shock and added that "it would be best" if it dies soon.

The 50-foot (15-meter) whale was stranded Wednesday in the Vejle Fjord, 135 miles (220 kilometers) west of Copenhagen. It is believed to be about three to four years old.

On Wednesday, local firefighters hosed down the whale to protect its skin from the sun and sealed off the area around the huge mammal. Plans to drag the whale out to sea at high tide were abandoned because it would have harmed the animal too much.

[Associated Press]

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