Minke whale washes up on St. Lawrence shore in Lvis

Veterinarians are still not sure what happened to a small minkewhale thatwashed up on the shore of theSt. Lawrence River in the St-Nicholas area ofLvis on Monday afternoon.

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JacquesFortinowns the cottage behind the beach where the carcass came ashore.

"It's something we don't see very often, but at the same time it's very unpleasant,"Fortinsaid.

"It is still a beautifulanimal and it is in perfect condition."

JosianeCabana, a spokesperson for the Rseau qubcois d'urgences pour les mammifres marins an emergency network for marine mammals said it's unusual to see a whale this far up the St. Lawrence.

She said they rarely swim further than the Charlevoix region.

"It's a young whale and a species that comes to visit us each summer in the St. Lawrence," she said, although most of the minke whales spotted in the riverare adult females.

Cabana added the species is not endangered.

Veterinarian Stphane Lair and a team looked at the carcassthis morning and took tissue samples.

He said they will look for contaminants and conduct specific genetic tests as well.

There are no obvious signs of injury on the animal but the cause of death won't be known until a necropsy takes place, he said.