A humpback whale that floated ashore in Sandy Cove about four weeks ago was being buried Thursday by a contractor hired by the Municipality of Digby.

While alive, whales are the responsibility of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, but if dead and on a shore, they become the local municipality’s expense, said deputy clerk Gordon Wilson.

He said he doesn’t understand Ottawa’s rationale for that.

The whale died at least 10 weeks ago because the municipality first began tracking reports of its floating body about that time. It grounded in Sandy Cove on the Bay of Fundy side after the Feb. 9-10 weekend, and officials waited to see whether high moon tides Feb. 21 would float it back to sea.

“We just waited to see if it would continue up the coast,” Wilson said.

When it became apparent the whale’s body was going nowhere, the municipality hired the contractor to bury the carcass on the beach. Approval was given by the province’s Department of Natural Resources and DFO.

Click here to read the complete story and view photos.