'Sculptures of nature': Spain's beached whale skeletons on display

Spanish biologists have come up with a technique to treat the skeletons of beached whales which wash up in the Canary Islands in order to put them on display as "sculptures of nature".

Over the past two years the non-governmental organisation Canaries Conservation has brought together a group of biologists to work on the project to display the skeletons of the sperm whales, the Spanish island chain being their most popular habitat after the Patagonia region of Argentina.

Manuel Carrillo, heading the group of experts, says ultimately the full skeletons will be placed near the shoreline as a potent reminder of their fate.

"We want to carry out exhaustive monitoring of the whales along the Canary Island's coastline but we also want to give due recognition to their exhibitive value and enable people to see that the skeleton is a wonderful part of the animal you don't usually see," Carrillo told AFP.

Many of the sperm whales which the sea carries to the shores of the Canaries die a traumatic death, the fate suffered by the eight that died in the wake of naval manoeuvres which the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) carried out in November at the Spanish naval base at Rota, on the southern mainland.

"The sperm whales are great predators. They are lords of the sea and can hear boats going by perfectly, they aren't afraid of them and don't shy away. As there is a huge amount of maritime traffic this increases the possibility of collisions," explains Carrillo, while adding that some clearly die of natural causes.

"We have seen photos of the skeletons in heaps of calendars and almanacs in Germany, it's already become a tourist attraction," says a delighted Carrillo.