A dead whale found on the shore along North Street in Glace Bay is drawing attention from locals.

The animal was first reported over the weekend and onlookers have flocked to take pictures and observe the carcass. Officials are warning people to be cautious when looking at the whale. The cliffs surrounding it are steep and wet, and the body itself may be carrying diseases.

The Marine Animal Rescue society confirmed that it is a humpback whale but said that it is not in suitable enough condition to perform a necropsy, therefore the cause of death will remain unknown.

The Facebook page Cape Breton Cetacean sightings, which documents the sightings of different whale species in the region, said in a post, “This is not how we were hoping to report our first sighting of this species along the coast for 2023.”

They also warned observers not to get too close to the animal.

What will happen to the whale now remains unclear.