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Dead grey whale found near Jebel Ali Port

DUBAI — A dead grey whale — an endangered species — was found floating in the shallow sea near the Jebel Ali Port on Sunday. EHS — the Environment, Health and Safety regulatory arm of Dubai World — supervised the recovery of the carcass from sea.

A team of specialists from EHS, port divers and government experts was dispatched to the site to investigate what happened to the 12-metre-long whale weighing nine tons.

Ahmed Abdul Hussain, CEO of EHS, said: “Grey whales are an endangered species in the North-western Pacific (Asian) region. We hope the dead whale will be used as a research specimen in view of the significance of using the DNA protected in the bones for research and analysis in the future.”

He highlighted the advantages of biodiversity which is linked to the economy and sustainable development and stressed the importance of increasing the number of grey whales in the Middle East.

“The reproduction rate of the species is low and unless the negative interference in their habitat is brought down, they will become extinct,” Hussain added.

The carcass was transferred to Al Hibab region where it will be buried to decompose so that its skeleton could be embalmed. The whale must have died seven to 10 days ago, the experts said.