A stray whale’s death in a Japanese bay raises questions about the cause and the cost of disposal

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — A whale as long as a train car that died after straying into a Japanese bay is set to be buried until it naturally becomes a skeletal specimen for a local museum. It’s the third year in a row that whales have become stranded in Osaka Bay, raising questions about the reasons why and the cost of handling the incidents. The animal that was confirmed dead Monday is believed to be a male sperm whale, about 39 feet long and weighing an estimated 20 tons. Tidal fluctuations, diseases and climate change are among the possible reasons it became stranded. The whale was spotted several times in the bay and port since mid-January and may have starved to death.