How Doncaster Council's tweets about blowing up a dead whale to fight coronavirus went viral

Not a lot you’d think.

But a series of tweets from the council’s official Twitter feed on the importance of following lockdown rules have become a global hit – telling the bizarre story of how officials in America once blew up a dead whale – with spectacularly bad results.

The council came up with a creative way of emphasising the importance of following the rules - by sharing the story from nearly 50 years ago when officials in Oregon decided to blow up a rotting whale carcass.

The council said the tale could teach us some lessons about coronavirus in a series of tweets.

“The story began when a 45-ft sperm whale washed up on a beach in Florence, Oregon on November 9, 1970.

“There was some debate about what to do with it.

“They could leave it to decompose, they could try and chop it up and bury it, or they could blow it up with dynamite and hope that seagulls ate the leftovers.

“It was decided that leaving the whale to decompose would be too unpleasant, so they decided to blow it up.

“George Thornton, who sensibly seemed to be wearing a hard hat in press reports from the time, was the engineer in charge of the explosion.

“He said he wasn’t sure how much dynamite would be needed to destroy one of the world’s largest mammals, so he opted for half a tonne.

“An ex-member of the military advised Mr Thornton and other officials that this was too much, and just a few sticks of dynamite would be enough for the job.

“But Mr Thornton ignored the advice.

“On November 12, in front of an excited crowd on the beach, the whale was blown up using half a tonne of dynamite.

“As experts had warned, the explosion sent massive chunks of blubber flying through the air, and it rained down on the terrified spectators.

"The overwhelming smell sent people running for their homes as rotting whale plopped down around them," the council said.

"The situation was dangerous - a car was even crushed by a huge lump of blubber a quarter of a mile away.

"To cap everything off, the main bit of the whale stayed exactly where it had been.

"The problem hadn’t gone away, only now there were thousands of bits of problem spread for miles around."

But the unique story presents three lessons which can be learned about the coronavirus lockdown, the council said.

“Don't ignore the advice that experts give you. They know what they are talking about.

“Sometimes, it’s better to just sit at home and do nothing than go outside and do something ridiculous. Let nature take its course.

“When you ignore expert advice and act like an idiot, you cover everyone else with decaying whale blubber. #StayHome and stop being selfish.

Social media users praised the council's creative way of encouraging people to follow lockdown rules and stay home.

The message, which has been shared nearly 40,000 times, even made its way to Oregon, the home of the explosion with the City of Oregon Florence Twitter account posting: “We can all learn from the past! #StayHomeSaveLives.”

Doncaster Council replied: “And with this glorious moment, the circle of life is complete. Our friends at the real place, Florence, Oregon, have seen our tweets.”

One said: "I don't live in Doncaster and don't know anyone who does, and have no real need of civic updates from your lovely town. I am following you anyway for whale-related history and more. Long live Doncaster Council."

Another responded: "Glorious. Absolutely glorious."