Editing Exploding whale (section)

==Taiwan==
Another whale explosion occurred on January 29, 2004, in [[Tainan|Tainan City]], Taiwan.<ref>{{cite book
 | last=Parfitt |first=Troy 
 | title=Notes from the Other China: Adventures in Asia
 | url=https://archive.org/details/notesfromotherch00parf_194 | url-access=limited | location=New York
 | publisher=Algora Publishing
 | year=2008
 | isbn=978-0875865836
 | page=[https://archive.org/details/notesfromotherch00parf_194/page/n58 44]
}}</ref> This time the explosion resulted from the buildup of gas inside a decomposing sperm whale, which caused it to burst. The cause of the phenomenon was initially unknown, since it occurred in the spinal area of the whale, not in its abdomen as might be expected. It was later determined that the whale had most likely been struck by a large shipping vessel, damaging its spine and weakening the area, and leading to its death. The whale died after beaching on the southwestern coast of Taiwan, and it took three large cranes and 50 workers more than 13 hours to shift the whale onto the back of a truck.

''[[Taiwan News]]'' reported that, while the whale was being moved, "a large crowd of more than 600 local Yunlin residents and curiosity seekers, along with vendors selling snack food and hot drinks, braved the cold temperature and chilly wind to watch workmen try to haul away the dead marine leviathan".<ref name="jasonpan">
 {{cite news
 | first=Jason
 | last=Pan
 | title=Sperm whale explodes in Tainan City
 | work=eTaiwan News
 | date=January 27, 2004
}}</ref> Professor Wang Chien-ping had ordered the whale be moved to the Sutsao Wild Life Reservation Area after he had been refused permission to perform a [[necropsy]] at the [[National Cheng Kung University]] in Tainan. When it burst, the whale carcass was on the back of a truck near the center of Tainan, ''en route'' from the university laboratory to the preserve. The bursting whale splattered blood and entrails over surrounding shop fronts, bystanders, and cars.<ref name="bbctaiwaneselocal">{{cite news
 | title=Whale explodes in Taiwanese city
 | work=BBC News
 | date=January 29, 2004
 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3437455.stm
 | access-date=December 10, 2016
 | archive-date=August 22, 2014
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822125341/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3437455.stm
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref> The explosion did not, however, cause injuries or prevent researchers from performing a [[necropsy]] on the animal.<ref name="weirdasianews">{{cite news
 | title=Taiwanese Whale Explosion&nbsp;... Literally
 | work=Weird Asia News
 | date=May 22, 2009
 | url=http://www.weirdasianews.com/2009/05/22/whale-explodes-taiwan-street/
 | access-date=March 10, 2017
 | archive-date=March 12, 2017
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312044553/http://www.weirdasianews.com/2009/05/22/whale-explodes-taiwan-street/
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref>

Over the course of about a year, Wang completed a bone display from the remains of the whale. The assembled specimen and some preserved organs and tissues have been on display in the Taijiang Cetacean Museum since April 8, 2005.<ref name="xpatmatt">{{cite news
 | first=Matt
 | last=Gibson
 | title=The Tale of the Exploding Whale
 | work=XPATMATT
 | date=August 3, 2008
 | url=http://xpatmatt.com/the-tale-of-the-exploding-whale/
 | access-date=March 10, 2017
 | archive-date=March 12, 2017
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312052306/http://xpatmatt.com/the-tale-of-the-exploding-whale/
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref>