A whale spotted in Osaka Bay since last month has been confirmed dead and will be buried on prefectural land, the Osaka Prefectural Government has said.
After being buried for up to two years, the skeletal remains will be offered as a specimen to the Osaka Museum of Natural History, prefectural officials said Monday.
According to the Osaka Prefectural Government, on Jan. 12, the Kobe Coast Guard Office received multiple reports of whale sightings near Rokko Island in the city of Kobe. First observed drifting into Osaka Bay on the morning of Jan. 29, the whale likely grew weak due to a lack of food and low body temperature.