Anthony Piovesan
Police have been called out to help a giant whale off the coast of Valencia.
It came after a boat captain spotted the ailing mammal 3km off Cullera.
The huge 17-metre whale was behaving in a disoriented way and drifting closer to the shore.
A Valencia Guardia Civil patrol boat took an Oceanografic Foundation rescue team with five vets and two marine biologists to inspect it.
The experts noticed a worrying malformation in the whale, known as scoliosis, which they established could be the reason why it was in distress.
The condition is where the spine twists and curves to one side, and is usually caused by a trauma such as a collision with a boat or ship.
The rescuers tried to place a tracker on the dorsal fin, but because of the condition of its tail it was not possible.
The whale drifted out to sea and away from the coast, but the expert team warned it could reappear in the next few days.
Local authorities, rescue teams and the Ministry of Environment have been informed so that the animal can be monitored for future sightings.
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