Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Dead Baja whale headed for pit

“I felt like vomiting”

"No visible trauma from ship collision or from a predator." - Image by Adrian Urenda
"No visible trauma from ship collision or from a predator."

On May 20th at about noon, Adrian Urenda saw a dead whale on the beach by Las Olas Hotel in Calafia (about seven miles south of Rosarito).

“There was a hippie-like woman playing a drum next to the whale’s remains.”

“There were about ten others around the carcass,” he said, “I touched it and it felt wet and slippery.”

Urenda, a 26-year-old criminologist from Tijuana, noticed there were no police, scientists, firemen or anything related to civil protection, government or public institutions — present investigating the scene.

“It smelled a little nasty,” he said, “I think the whale was there from the day before at about 7 p.m.”

Sponsored
Sponsored
“It’s a male for sure."

According to Mexican news outlets, the whale, which measures approximately 65-70 feet long, washed up on shore on May 19th.

“It’s a male for sure. I can see the penis in the photos,” said Federico Cota, a biologist from Ensenada.

“He’s not your usual whale. I can’t point to the exact species, but he’s not a grey whale,” Cota said, “there is no visible trauma from ship collision or from a predator such as killer whales.”

"Sometimes they tie a cable and drag it out to sea."

Urenda, like the others present, took photos and videos of the carcass.

“There was a hippie-like woman playing a drum next to the whale’s remains,” he said, “she was performing a ritual.”

The residents that live close by aren’t so amused by the carcass. Many are worried that the rotting scent will travel into their homes and stick on their linens and clothing.

Urenda agrees. “After that I went home and still smelled the stench on me,” he said. “I felt like vomiting.”

Cota used to work for PROFEPA (Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente), which is the agency in charge of the care and preservation of the environment throughout Mexico.

He said that his contact in PROFEPA and their team of biologists, went to the site on May 21st to do the official investigation of the carcass to determine the cause of death.

“Usually when a whale dies and beaches near human populations,” Cota said, “authorities pull it to where they can dig a big pit to bury it. Sometimes they tie a cable and drag it out to sea and because of the gases it will float, and let the current take it far to another place and while floating at sea, it usually attracts large scavengers like sharks that eventually open the guts allowing gases to be liberated and then the carcass sinks out of sight.”

According to the Mexican news outlets, the whale will be buried in a pit close by.

Nicole resides in front of the carcass. "This morning (May 22nd) at around 7 a.m., the workers have began the burying process with two bulldozers," she said.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gilbert Castellanos, Buddha Trixie, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Shane Hall, Brian Jones Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival

Grand Socials, gigs, and record releases in Del Mar, City Heights, Solana Beach, Little Italy, and Ocean Beach
Next Article

Taco Taco Poway still has 99-cent fish tacos

Tacotopia prizewinner is well known among Powegians
"No visible trauma from ship collision or from a predator." - Image by Adrian Urenda
"No visible trauma from ship collision or from a predator."

On May 20th at about noon, Adrian Urenda saw a dead whale on the beach by Las Olas Hotel in Calafia (about seven miles south of Rosarito).

“There was a hippie-like woman playing a drum next to the whale’s remains.”

“There were about ten others around the carcass,” he said, “I touched it and it felt wet and slippery.”

Urenda, a 26-year-old criminologist from Tijuana, noticed there were no police, scientists, firemen or anything related to civil protection, government or public institutions — present investigating the scene.

“It smelled a little nasty,” he said, “I think the whale was there from the day before at about 7 p.m.”

Sponsored
Sponsored
“It’s a male for sure."

According to Mexican news outlets, the whale, which measures approximately 65-70 feet long, washed up on shore on May 19th.

“It’s a male for sure. I can see the penis in the photos,” said Federico Cota, a biologist from Ensenada.

“He’s not your usual whale. I can’t point to the exact species, but he’s not a grey whale,” Cota said, “there is no visible trauma from ship collision or from a predator such as killer whales.”

"Sometimes they tie a cable and drag it out to sea."

Urenda, like the others present, took photos and videos of the carcass.

“There was a hippie-like woman playing a drum next to the whale’s remains,” he said, “she was performing a ritual.”

The residents that live close by aren’t so amused by the carcass. Many are worried that the rotting scent will travel into their homes and stick on their linens and clothing.

Urenda agrees. “After that I went home and still smelled the stench on me,” he said. “I felt like vomiting.”

Cota used to work for PROFEPA (Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente), which is the agency in charge of the care and preservation of the environment throughout Mexico.

He said that his contact in PROFEPA and their team of biologists, went to the site on May 21st to do the official investigation of the carcass to determine the cause of death.

“Usually when a whale dies and beaches near human populations,” Cota said, “authorities pull it to where they can dig a big pit to bury it. Sometimes they tie a cable and drag it out to sea and because of the gases it will float, and let the current take it far to another place and while floating at sea, it usually attracts large scavengers like sharks that eventually open the guts allowing gases to be liberated and then the carcass sinks out of sight.”

According to the Mexican news outlets, the whale will be buried in a pit close by.

Nicole resides in front of the carcass. "This morning (May 22nd) at around 7 a.m., the workers have began the burying process with two bulldozers," she said.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Taco Taco Poway still has 99-cent fish tacos

Tacotopia prizewinner is well known among Powegians
Next Article

Tyler Farr, Blue Water Film Festival, Mustache Bash

Events March 21-March 23, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.