A dwarf minke whale stranded on the beach in Heist on Sunday morning, authorities have confirmed.
The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) received a report around 11:00 of a minke whale near the Heist coastline. The animal was partially in the water but unable to swim away. By 12:00, it had become completely stranded on the sand.
According to a veterinarian, the young whale, measuring approximately six metres in length, appears to be in relatively good health. Adult dwarf minke whales can grow up to nine metres long. It is still unclear whether the animal is male or female.
Rescue teams are working urgently to keep the whale alive by keeping it wet until high tide returns at around 19:00. A bulldozer is on site to dig a trench, which will help the whale swim more easily back to deeper waters. “For now, we can only hope it remains in stable condition,” said Kelle Moreau of the RBINS.
Dwarf minke whales are native to the North Sea but typically inhabit its northern and deeper regions. In the past 25 years, only seven have stranded along the Belgian coast, while just six have been spotted at sea. However, sightings in the southern North Sea are on the rise.
For instance, in May 2024, a deceased young dwarf minke whale washed ashore in Ostend. That same year, two sightings of the species were recorded at sea.
