Whales wash up dead on Cyprus coast
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Nicosia: The Cyprus government is looking into how seven whales mysteriously washed up dead on the rocky shoreline of the island's north coast, authorities announced.
According to accounts, three other whales of the same species were discovered dead on beaches farther east in the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The island in the eastern Mediterranean where whales are occasionally observed but not frequently has seen the highest number of whale deaths ever.
All of the dead whales were Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris), which are known for diving deeper and for a longer period of time than any other type of mammal, AFP reported.
The whales were discovered on a number of beaches along the north coast between Polis and Pachyammos.
On Thursday, the first whale as well as three beached whales were discovered dead and were thrown back into the water.
Six more were discovered dead on Friday, which may or may not have included the three that were saved on Thursday.
“The autopsy of the Ziphius species whale was carried out to establish their causes of death after the six dead whales washed up on the northern coast of Paphos (district),” Department of Fisheries and Marine Research official Ioannis Ioannou said.
He claimed that specialists took samples for more in-depth analysis.
This is the first time that there have been so many dead whales discovered. Only one animal was involved in each of the two incidences that were noted in 2021 and 2022.