Nature. She is a cruel, cruel mistress…

Several sperm whales have been found dead near Ardrossan, Australia, in a rare mass beaching, according to reports.

Dr. Deborah Kelly, an animal welfare manager on the case, called the beaching “rare” and “horrific,” the outlet notes. She theorized that the whales either were feeding too close to shore and couldn’t return out to sea or came to the aid of a sick whale in shallow water and got stuck there. “We’ll probably never know,” she said.

Some of the whales’ valuable teeth were stolen overnight, prompting government officials to announce a fine of up to $100,000 for anyone coming within 50 meters of the carcasses. Classy.

It is clearly a spectacle, but disease and the possibility of the carcasses exploding should be enough to keep onlookers away.

Apparently authorities are thinking about what to do with the whales before they badly decompose. We will keep a keen eye on how they approach the clean up…

To see more check out Huffington Post