Dead minke whale washed up in the Manila Bay

Members of the Philippine coast guard try to lift up the carcass of a minke whale in the waters of the Manila Bay on Dec. 30, 2008. (Xinhua/Luis Liwanag)

Members of the Philippine coast guard try to lift up the carcass of a minke whale in the waters of the Manila Bay on Dec. 30, 2008. (Xinhua/Luis Liwanag)

Members of the Philippine coast guard try to lift up the carcass of a minke whale in the waters of the Manila Bay on Dec. 30, 2008. (Xinhua/Luis Liwanag)

The carcass of a whale is seen in the waters of the Manila Bay on Dec. 30, 2008.(Xinhua/Luis Liwanag)

The carcass of a minke whale is lifted up by members of the Philippine coast guard in the waters of the Manila Bay on Dec. 30, 2008. (Xinhua/Luis Liwanag)

The 10-meter-long minke whale was washed up at a pier late Monday and was tied to a coast guard boat while authorities searched for a crane to haul it out to assess the cause of death. The minke whale may have died of natural causes or may have been hit by a boat before being washed up. It was the first time in recent memory that a dead minke whale was washed up in the Manila Bay, a major shipping channel.