SOUTH African rescue workers were elated after they towed a stranded whale out to sea on Sunday, but on Tuesday it beached itself again and died so they blew it up. The nine-metre long humpback whale first stranded itself off the southeastern city of Port Elizabeth in one metre of water for about six hours. It was then spotted in the Port Elizabeth harbour on Monday swimming in tight circles. It eventually beached itself on rocks, and died. “These animals float when they are dead which could be hazardous to passing ships and boats, so explosives were used to break the body up into smaller pieces,” said rescue representative Wendy Kant. Two weeks ago another humpback whale was blown up still alive after it beached itself at a river mouth west of Port Elizabeth. The explosion of a charge on the whale’s head was described as the most humane method of euthanasia available. – AFP