For the third time in three weeks, a whale has washed ashore in Brittany, France. An attempt to get the animal back into the water failed on Monday. "The animal is not dead, but it is dying," authorities there said.
The whale is 12 metres long and shows no signs of injury, but is just skinny, said Bernard Martin, a volunteer at the Réseau national d'écouages, which is on site on the beach in Ty Anquer. The tide prevented attempts to get the animal back into the water.
The whale was partially covered with wet sheets to relieve its suffering. "Its skin is very fragile. It's made to be in the water all the time," Martin explained.
He had no explanation for the beaching of two other whales in recent weeks which, he said, "were very skinny."
The first whale washed ashore on 2 September at Sein Island and the second on a beach in Tréguennec, in the Bay of Audierne, on 10 September.
Samples were taken from the second whale last week.
