People stand near the body of a dead whale after it washed ashore from the Mediterranean near Nitzanim, Israel February 19, 2021 REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Israeli officials are investigating the cause of death of a fin whale that was found washed up on a beach in southern Israel.
The 17-metre-long (55ft) whale was found on Thursday on the beach in the Nitzanim nature reserve, south of Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean coast.
A man walks near the body of a dead whale after it washed ashore from the Mediterranean near Nitzanim, Israel February 19, 2021 REUTERS/Amir Cohen
The whale's body is "quite rotten, so it's impossible to say for certain the cause of death ... samples will be taken for research," said David Halfon, of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
With rainy weather giving way to periodic sunshine on Friday afternoon, some Israelis walked down to the nature reserve's coastline to see the whale up close and take photos with it.
(Additional reporting by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Alex Richardson)
People walk near the body of a dead whale after it washed ashore from the Mediterranean near Nitzanim, Israel February 19, 2021 REUTERS/Amir CohenPeople stand near the body of a dead whale after it washed ashore from the Mediterranean near Nitzanim, Israel February 19, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Amir CohenPeople stand near the body of a dead whale after it washed ashore from the Mediterranean near Nitzanim, Israel February 19, 2021 REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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