A dead whale has been towed into a Danish harbour for a post-mortem, with British marine biologists on hand to assist. The carcass of the adult male sperm whale was discovered off the coast of Jutland earlier this week. It is now being examined in Thyborøn, a small fishing port.
UK experts from the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) are part of the international team. The cause of death is unknown. But foul play is not suspected.
Whales in these waters often fall victim to ship strikes or entanglement. However, the sheer size of this specimen has drawn attention. At over 15 metres, it is a significant find.
The autopsy will take several days. Samples will be sent to labs in Denmark and the UK. The CSIP team, based at the Zoological Society of London, have a long history of collaborating with Danish counterparts.
This is a quiet, forensic exercise. But for those of us who watch the politics of marine conservation, it is a reminder of the quiet alliances that underpin international science. No leaks from Whitehall on this one.
The government's focus is elsewhere. But the Strandings Investigation Programme is one of those low-cost, high-value operations that civil servants quietly champion. They know that every carcass tells a story.
And in the current climate, any story that highlights cross-border cooperation is a good one.
