Normally a whale sighting is cause for excitement, but the recent arrival of a whale carcass on the beach at Spaniard’s Bay is anything but welcome.

The carcass appears to have drifted in from a beach on Bell Island, and as of yesterday afternoon was lying on the shore near the rec centre and school. With prevailing easterly winds, it’s unlikely it’ll go anywhere else, which is a major problem for the town.

If the massive animal remains on the beach, it’s likely up to the municipality to have it removed.

That’s something the town is currently trying to figure out but Mayor Tammy Oliver says the answers are not readily available.

The problem says Oliver, is that the options are limited. She says the animal cannot be towed into the bay because it poses a hazard for navigation. It can’t be towed elsewhere because they’re surrounded by other communities.

She says the only option may be to bury it.

“If that’s what’s got to be done, that’s fine. It’s just a little bit frustrating for us right now, because we don’t have any answers from any government department to tell us exactly what to do with this.”