A Cautionary Tale of Exploding Whales

Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction in Oregon

Photo by Jens Johnsson on Unsplash

Whales are gigantic creatures. The finite nature of life demands that occasionally these sea giants will die and wash up onto beaches, where they will begin to rot and attract birds and other animals that feast on carrion flesh. This creates quite the conundrum for local authorities and health regulators. How do you even begin to dispose of a creature like this, that consists of tons and tons of cumbersome and bacteria-laced organic material?

Well, in Florence, Oregon, in the year 1970, health officials faced this exact scenario when a sperm whale weighing over eight tons ended up on one of their beaches. It was 45 feet long. After considering all the options, they decided the best way to get rid of the hulking mass was to blow it up, with the help of the State Highway Division, and utilizing a half ton of dynamite.

Now look, I understand that a lot has changed over the past fifty years, but you have to wonder how even in 1970, folks thought that not only was this a good idea, but it was the best idea they could come up with.

I do realize that of all the concepts, blowing shit up to solve problems is the American Way. Hell yeah. Nothing is more American than explosions. Our entire film industry is based on this…