Rare Scene as Lamu Residents Feast on Whale [PHOTOS]

A rare scene was witnessed in Lamu County on Monday after residents feasted on a baby whale that had been washed ashore.

The calf whale was found on the shore of Ishakani, a village bordering Somalia, in Kiunga ward Lamu east sub-county.

Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Lamu County Communications office confirmed the presence of the whale at Ishakani shores.

However, the official declined to divulge more details as to what the county intends to do with the whale and whether it was tested and approved for consumption by the residents.

[caption caption="Residents collecting meat from the whale"][/caption]

A calf whale is the young one of a whale and it highly depends on the unique salt content and temperature of the water for survival.

In the recent past, Marine experts released a report showing proof of the existence of the blue whale, in the offshores of Kenya's Indian Ocean waters.

The blue whale is the largest animal to have lived on earth, with lengths of up to 30 metres, and has never been spotted off the Kenyan waters.

New sightings were recorded by marine mammal observers during a geophysical survey conducted 120 nautical miles off the coast near Lamu.

The report published in African Journal of Marine Science by R Barber, I Sikora and M Nimak, indicated that the marine mammal experts sighted 38 blue whales in 30 sightings.

[caption caption="The baby whale in Lamu, Ishakani village"][/caption]

The study represented the first live-at-sea sightings of blue whales reported from Kenyan waters.