The tragic sight of an enormous fin whale washed up on the shore in Devon could signal the resurgence of whale numbers after hunting was banned in 1986, an expert has said.
Rob Deaville, of the Institute of Zoology, based at London Zoo, said that the 30ft long mammal, spotted decomposing on the rocks near Hartland Quay on Wednesday, was one of a growing number of sightings in recent years.
At the start of last year 29 sperm whales were washed up on North Sea beaches in the space of less than a month, an increase from ten years ago when there were no strandings in Europe at all.
Scientists had suggested that the destruction of food sources could be forcing mammals to travel further