A whale approached the shore in Baracoa, Guantánamo province, and reportedly became stranded. Dozens of locals gathered at the site to get a close look at the impressive cetacean.
According to testimonies spread on social media, some fishermen attempted to capture the whale for its meat, which prompted police intervention.
The account was published on Facebook by the user Rogelio San Miguel Navarro, who described that "the animal approached the shoreline, causing a rush of locals to witness the unusual event."
He assured that the situation was about to end very differently for the cetacean: "Fishermen were preparing to catch the animal to consume its meat. The authorities intervened to prevent the feast that almost took place."
“The whale was saved,” said San Miguel Navarro in his post, which circulated widely among Cuban users.
The images of the incident show groups of 30 to 50 people gathered on the shore, with bicycles and at least one cart, reflecting how quickly the news spread among the local residents.
In a video, the police presence in the area can be seen, although the subsequent condition of the animal and how it ended up on the shore remains unknown.
The incident contrasts with other whale strandings previously recorded in Cuba, where locals tried to assist the animals.
In March 2021, when a whale stranded on the Caribbean beach of Baracoa, the locals attempted to return it to the sea. One resident criticized the official delay: “After almost three hours, the authorities arrived in a boat to rescue the poor animal.”
In October 2024, a Cuvier's beaked whale stranded at Playa Baracoa, in Artemisa, and died despite the efforts of the neighbors to save it; firefighters, police, and members of the Armed Forces came to remove the remains.
The contrast between those episodes and the current one reflects the impact of the acute food crisis that Cuba is experiencing. In May 2026, in Yumurí, also in Baracoa, a shark weighing over 500 kg was caught and cut up on the shore in front of about twenty people, including children and a police officer, in an equally telling episode.
The official protocol for a stranding states not to touch the animal, to notify environmental authorities and scientific institutions, and to keep it wet if it is alive until specialized support is available.
So far in 2026, the Cuban coasts have recorded at least two additional incidents involving dead cetaceans: a pygmy sperm whale found off the coast of Matanzas in January and a dead whale on Santa Lucía beach, Pinar del Río in February, making this year one of the most active in sightings and strandings of large marine mammals in Cuba.
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