A fin whale beached itself on the Île de Ré in western France, died and was then removed shortly afterwards.
The cause of the female whale’s death is still unclear, said a spokeswoman for the local prefecture on Monday.
The 15-ton animal had come close to a beach on the Atlantic island on Friday evening and died during the night leading into Saturday.
The authorities had the carcass removed on Saturday evening. A crane and a lorry were used. Pictures showed that the whale’s carcass protruded well beyond the lorry’s trailer.
French media reported that this was the third time a fin whale had stranded on Île de Ré, following incidents in 1920 and 2017.
