Dozens of massacred narwhals, an Arctic whale with a single long tusk, have been discovered on the east coast of Greenland in what local police said Thursday could be a case of poaching.
"We received a complaint that there may have been a possible violation of the Greenlandic law regarding the protection of narwhals, after the discovery of cadavers in Illoqqortoormiut," the deputy chief of Greenland police Morten Nielsen told AFP.
A scientific expedition from New Zealand discovered the carcasses as they sailed along the coastline "about two weeks ago," Nielsen said.
According to Danish and Greenlandic media, 48 animals were killed, but police refused to confirm those reports.
People in Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, are authorised to hunt narwhals "but there are rules that say you can't shoot females and that you have to remove the body" after killing the animal, Nielsen said.
There were females and calves among the dead, Danish news agency Ritzau reported, adding that only the males' long tusks and some meat had been removed from the carcasses.
"We're now trying to investigate the incident and figure out what has happened and if the law has been broken," Nielsen said.
Narwhals can grow up to five metres (16 feet) in length and live primarily in the Arctic Ocean.
Males have a single long, twisted tusk that protrudes from the upper left side of the jaw and which can grow up to three metres (10 feet). It is sought after by poachers for its ivory.
Some females may also grow tusks, albeit much smaller.
The export of narwhal tusks is banned in Greenland, and imports are banned in the European Union, according to Ritzau.