How not to dispose of a dead whale

So, you’ve got a dead what on your beach. What now? On November 12, 1970, a dead sperm whale was rotting on a beach in southern Oregon. The Oregon highway department decided that the best way to dispose of a dead whale was the same way they’d deal with an immovable boulder—with explosives.

There is a website with dramatic footage of the big day and a Dave Barry column about the event. From the column:

So they moved the spectators back up the beach, put a half-ton of dynamite next to the whale and set it off. I am probably not guilty of understatement when I say that what follows, on the videotape, is the most wonderful event in the history of the universe. First you see the whale carcass disappear in a huge blast of smoke and flame. Then you hear the happy spectators shouting "Yayy!" and "Whee!" Then, suddenly, the crowd’s tone changes. You hear a new sound like "splud." You hear a woman’s voice shouting "Here come pieces of… MY GOD!" Something smears the camera lens.

The State Parks folks recommend staying away from the dead whale in Half Moon Bay. That’s good advice. Last year, according to the same site, "A dead 56-foot sperm whale exploded while being transported through a Taiwanese city. Buildings, vehicles, and people were showered with blood and entrails. The explosion was caused by the build-up of gases brought on by decomposition."