Eventually, they were acquired by circus owners and showmen and exhibited as sideshow attractions.
Before long, the whales had become an attraction in their own right.
The 58-ton travelling whale Jonah, at an exhibition at Les Invalides in Paris, in 1955.
Photo: Vagn Hansen/BIPs/Getty Images
The whales were caught off Trndelag coast in 1952.
To prevent the tissues from rotting, refrigeration units were placed inside their hollow interiors.
The disassembled skeleton is now at the Grant Museum of Zoology in London distributed across different cupboards and cabinets.
Another whale, named Eric, toured England in the 1930s.
He was eventually buried under Morecambe’s rollercoaster.
Photo: Vagn Hansen/BIPs/Getty Images
Goliath was last seen in Italy.
Hercules was in Spain as part of a circus, before decomposition overwhelmed him and the circus went bust.
The rotting flesh was incinerated in a giant furnace.
As for Jonah, there is a good chance we will see him again in the future.
Photo: Vagn Hansen/BIPs/Getty Images
Jonah in the 1970s.
