Overview
- Marine researchers from Peru’s Imarpe documented a dead humpback whale near the Quilca coast in Arequipa, describing a male subadult about 7.6 meters long in advanced decomposition a few meters from shore.
- Specialists noted the tail was tied with rope, which they said could mean the carcass was towed from another location, though the cause of death remains unknown until the body can be examined on land.
- Imarpe said teams will keep watch for a possible beaching to allow a fuller evaluation and urged people to avoid contact with the carcass because decomposing marine mammals can carry harmful pathogens.
- In a separate case in La Libertad, police opened an inquiry into two subofficers after the body of 22-year-old Santos Primitivo Marquina Polo was found in a ravine known as Quebrada El Jardín following an interaction with officers.
- The police report says Marquina abandoned his motorcycle and jumped, while local ronderos, or community patrol members, dispute that account, allege an assault, and call for review of nearby surveillance cameras as the regional police chief says the probe will determine responsibility.