Souvenir hunters force First Nation and DFO to remove dead whale from B.C. beach

Souvenir hunters and tourists who were taking bits and pieces off a dead grey whale beached in a park near Sooke, B.C., have forced the removal of the mammal.
The Beecher Bay First Nation brought their concerns to the Department of Fisheries after members noticed that hunks of the whale's hide and other parts had been removed.
The young whale washed up on the shores of the regional park about 40-kilometres south west of Victoria on Vancouver Island more than a week ago.
The carcass had become a tourist attraction with hundreds of people going to see the dead animal, having their pictures taken on top of it and taking home a memento or two.
Paul Cottrell, marine mammal co-ordinator with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, said many members of the nearby First Nation didn't like the way the mammal was being handled.