Beached whale carcasses and locus infestations sound like Biblical plagues straight from the Old Testament, but they are a reality afflicting segments of the globe. Consequently, many people are wondering whether these episodes are an ominous warning to the rest of the world.
Last January, the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme unveiled information that 1,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans) throughout Europe had the highest concentrations of man-made toxinsever documented. The researchers concluded that UK cetaceans are teetering on the brink of extinction because of these contaminants.
Exactly twelve giant beached sperm whales died on the coast of the Dutch island of Texel and the German islands of Wangerooge and Helgoland in January. That same month, 73Â short-finned pilot whales were found dead in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.