Whale to be removed from Danish island after failed German rescue

Whale to be removed from Danish island after failed German rescue11 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePaul KirbyEurope digital editorReutersThe whale, pictured in late April when it was released into the seaDanish environment officials are planning to remove the carcass of a humpback whale from the island of Anholt, as concerns are raised of a potential health risk.The dead whale was discovered last weekend, two weeks after a private bid aimed at rescuing the humpback that spent weeks stranded along Germany's Baltic Sea coast."It's around 20-30m (65-100ft) from the beach but it's drifting along the beach," said one woman on Anholt who preferred to remain anonymous.Denmark's environmental protection agency will also conduct a post mortem examination on the whale, which was released in the North Sea some distance from Anholt.The agency has urged islanders to keep away from the carcass because of the risk of infection but has not yet detailed when it intends to move the animal.It gave no update on Wednesday, and no timeline for when or how the whale would be removed. However, it said earlier that work was under way for a solution that would allow for both "a post mortem examination and for valuable scientific samples to be secured for research purposes".The whale has gained in size in recent days because of a build-up of gas as the carcass decomposes, and some islanders are worried it may explode."That's nature. I know some people are worried, but I'm not," said the islander who spoke to the BBC.The whale's carcass is now beached a few metres off the coast of AnholtExactly how the whale ended up on an island off Denmark's East Jutland coast in the Kattegat strait is a mystery. The barge that carried the mammal away from Germany released it into the sea about 70km (45 miles) from the northern tip of Denmark.The saga has transfixed Germans since early March, and has left islanders on Anholt...