28-year-old Yannis Cleymans from Herent (Flemish Brabant) has discovered a beached whale on the east coast of Canada thanks to his use of Google Maps. The Fleming writes articles about eastern Canada on Wikipedia as a hobby and stumbled upon the remarkable satellite image during his research. ‘I was expecting 10 likes, and suddenly I got a call from CBC,’ he says.
‘It’s a hobby, I spend an hour every day writing articles on Wikipedia,’ he explains. ‘I have always had a fascination with geography. As a child, I lived in the United States due to my father's work, but I felt especially connected to eastern Canada. After all, that is on the same latitude as Belgium.’
‘Back home in Belgium, every day I write about Canada’s villages and rivers.’
While researching an article, Yannis came across a remarkable satellite image. ‘Before I start writing, I always look at the area via Google Maps. While studying the remote inlet of Clay Cove, I saw the whale. I didn't believe my eyes and posted the discovery in a Facebook group for beachcombers. I was expecting 10 likes at most, but suddenly the post went viral.’
Rotting blubber and some teeth
With more than 5,000 likes, the post also caught the eye of a local journalist. Yannis made it onto the Canadian news and even made his debut on Canadian radio. ‘I didn't expect that at all,’ Yannis says. ‘But a Belgian discovering something like that, almost 4,000 kilometres away: they thought that was quite something.’
The satellite images turned out to have been made two years ago. ‘A few months after the sperm whale washed ashore, someone already bumped into the animal. At that time only some rotting blubber remained. Another year later, someone found some more bones and teeth. Being such a remote village, the news never went far. After my story was broadcast, another Canadian went to have a look, but found nothing left. Nature had already done its work.’
‘Finding the whale was a fun experience. I am curious to see what reactions I will get from Canadians living in the area.’