Newfoundland’s Exploding Whale Won’t Actually Explode

Turns out the 26-meter-long rotting blue whale carcass stinking up Trout River, Newfoundland—currently blowing up the internet with news of its imminent explosion—probably won’t actually explode after all.

Jack Lawson, a researcher with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, played down the chance of explosion and told the Canadian Press the beached whale is likely to seep built-up methane gas as its skin breaks down and deflate “like an old balloon.”

Fear mongering about the exploding whale has reached most major news outlets worldwide. On Monday, a town clerk in Trout River told CBC News “the whale is blowing up” as officials scrambled to deal with the giant corpse—and that set off a media frenzy.

The blue whale became so popular it inspired a website dedicated to monitoring its looming detonation. But as of yesterday, even that site had lost faith: "No. Not yet. And it probably won't [explode]," it said on its front page.

NTV reporter Don Bradshaw, who was reporting from the scene, said the whale’s body was deflating.“Sorry to disappoint those who may be anticipating [an] exploding whale” he tweeted. “Likely won't happen. Bloating decreasing.”

Our own photos corroborate Bradshaw’s observation, as the coloration and size of the whale’s girth have changed and shrunk considerably since pictures of it first emerged earlier in the week.

How exactly the town will remove the body remains unknown, but on Thursday Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gael Shea said the Royal Ontario Museum would be claiming the dead beast for preservation and research, in collaboration with her department.

“While the loss is truly unfortunate, our Government is pleased that we are able to work with the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) to preserve these rare whale skeletons for future generations, and to help Canadians benefit in a meaningful way through this invaluable contribution to Canadian science,” she said in a statement.

After a harsh winter produced massive ice sheets, nine blue whales were trapped under ice off the southwest coast of Newfoundland and died. Two of them washed ashore: one in Trout River and the other in Rocky Harbour.

The research team from the museum will begin removing the whale next week, Bradshaw reported, in a process that’s expected to take weeks. Part of its mission will be to gather tissue samples and preserve the skeleton of the whale.

While the whale deaths over the winter represented an estimated five percent of the blue whale population, according to the ROM, they also offer a rare opportunity for the scientific community.

"This is an important opportunity to further our understanding of these magnificent animals and provide an invaluable resource for Canadian science and education now and in the future," said Mark D. Engstrom, the ROM’s deputy director of collections and research.

Meanwhile, the ROM team could not come soon enough as the town deals with the odour of 50 tons of rotting blubber from one of the world’s largest ever animals. As the National Post describes, it’s as if 30 rotting elephants washed up on the doorstep of Trout River.