Mysterious Sea Creature Washes Ashore in England: Why is the Government Worried?

A mysterious and frightening sea creature, measuring 12 meters and as large as a double-decker bus, washed ashore this week in Hartland, England, scaring the residents.

The discovery was made by vacationers at the nearby 'Hartland Quay' hotel, who quickly reported it to the hotel manager, Sarah Stafford. According to her, this phenomenon is rather 'routine' along the country's shores. Due to its frequency, the government has set up a special line dedicated to such reports. "I reported it to the government because they have a hotline specifically for this," Stafford says. "A line for reporting strange sea creatures that wash ashore."

When asked what the creature was, she expressed her belief that it's a type of large minke whale or perhaps a smaller one, which 'explodes' when its stomach fills with gas.

Why the government hotline for strange sea creatures? Good question. It turns out that some residents of England have investigated and found out that certain creatures could bring them a lot of money. One example is the whale, whose body parts residents inexplicably tend to remove and sell.

This is precisely why the government has enacted a law prohibiting the removal of body parts from sea creatures found on the country's beaches.

"Moreover, dead whales that wash ashore can bring dangerous diseases to humans who approach them," explains Sherrill Van Durden, from an organization dedicated to rescuing marine animals. "Consider yourselves warned."

By the time the authorities bothered to remove the whale's carcass, curious locals had already captured the following photos: