Denmark leaves stranded whale to die naturally

[June 19, 2010]  COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- A government agency says a fin whale that has been stranded in a shallow fjord in western Denmark will be left to die without any human intervention.

The whale is suspected to be ill. The Forest and Nature Agency says in a statement it has decided to let the whale "die a natural death" after consulting with experts in Denmark and abroad.

Spokesman Peter Bjerremand said he sailed out early Friday to gauge the 30-ton baleen whale's situation. He says it was still alive and its condition unchanged.

The 50-foot (15-meter) mammal was stranded Wednesday in the Vejle Fjord, 135 miles (220 kilometers) west of Copenhagen. It is believed to be about 3 to 4 years old.

[Associated Press]

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