Minke whale washes ashore in Nova Scotia, cause of death not known
TIVERTON, N.S. — When Amy Tudor looked down at the carcass of a minke whale that washed ashore on a rugged stretch of the Nova Scotia coast, she wondered if it was the same playful mammal that swam around her tour boat last July.
Tudor, who guides expeditions with Mariner Cruises Whale and Seabird Tours, said she noticed the animal months ago as she cruised waters off Brier Island, N.S., because it was inquisitive and came so close to the boat.
“It was an amazingly friendly minke,” she said Monday. “We had one that swam around the boat and it felt like it was playing with us.”
On Friday, Tudor was called to a seaweed-covered piece of shoreline nearby in Tiverton after a fisherman searching for buoys discovered a whale laying lifeless on the rocks, with its eyes open and mouth agape.