The carcass of a female minke whale has been washed up at Gigi beach in Loulé, Algarve. The marks on her body indicated she died after being tangled up in fishing nets.
Alerted by members of the public at 08:00 last Friday, Quinta do Lago security guards alerted the Ria Formosa Natural Park, which sent a biologist from the Portuguese Wildlife Society (SPVS) who contacted the Maritime Police.
"It's a minke whale about four meters long - it's a juvenile female," said biologist Nídia Nicolau.
The position in which the whale was found, belly up, did not allow a full inspection to determine the cause of death, which Nicolau believes happened "two or three days ago."
"Thw whale seems to have fishing net marks, but I want to take samples and carry out a necropsy to try to determine exactly what happened," she added.
The whale was transported to a landfill site in Loulé last Friday, where the biologist also went in order to collect samples before the whale was buried.
In resident or migratory groups, the minke whale is a common species in the waters of the Algarve.
According to Nídia Nicolau, "every year, 50 to 60 such mammals are washed up between Odeceixe and Vila Real de Santo António and most have signs of being caught in fishing nets."
