Without an unpleasant smell and completely white — the skeleton of a humpback whale has returned to the Riga Zoo

Photo: скриншот видео TV3

Twenty years ago, a dead humpback whale was extracted from the Gulf of Riga. Its skeleton was preserved, but unfortunately, improperly — fluids were leaking from the bones, and the exhibit itself emitted an unpleasant smell. Now the whale's bones have been thoroughly processed, bleached, and in the future, its skeleton will be displayed in the Environmental Education Center of the Riga Zoo, reports the program "900 seconds" (TV3).

In the summer of 2006, a coast guard ship discovered a whale near the port of Skulte. With the help of a crane, it was pulled out of the water and later delivered for disassembly.

After that, for many years, the skeleton was kept in the former elephant house of the Riga Zoo. Initially, the processing of the bones and assembly of the skeleton was carried out by people without the appropriate experience, but later it was decided to involve qualified specialists. In March of last year, craftsmen from the Netherlands took on the restoration of the skeleton.

The updated skeleton of the humpback whale will now be located in the Environmental Education Center of the Riga Zoo, "Zinarium."

At first glance, it is noticeable that the bones have become significantly lighter, and the unpleasant smell that previously accompanied this exhibit has disappeared. An experienced craftsman from the Netherlands explained that he soaked and rinsed the bones for a long time to achieve the desired result.

"All the fat tissue and remnants of meat were washed out of the bones in water at a temperature of 45 degrees. The work was significantly slowed down by the fact that someone had previously covered the bones with something resembling glue. It took a lot of time to remove this. Then the water in the tank was replaced with hydrogen peroxide, which killed all the bacteria and bleached the bones," said Michael van Leuven, a representative of the company Inside-out animals.

Finally, the skeleton was placed in the sun, where it completely dried. A new metal structure was installed inside the bones, which securely holds them.

Work is currently underway in the ceiling of the Environmental Education Center, which will allow the skeleton of the humpback whale to be presented in a completely new and much more suitable way. The skeleton will not be placed on the ground — it will be suspended from above.

"Not like before, when it was lying on the ground. Now it will be as if it is swimming in space, in an ocean of air. Visitors will be able to observe various anatomical details," noted Maris Lielkalns, a representative of the Riga National Zoo.

Visitors will be able to see the restored skeleton of the humpback whale with their own eyes as early as mid-February.