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Kilkee cliffs in Clare.
# Kilkee
Strange animal limb washed up on beach probably a seal, says expert
The local dog warden is keeping the limb in his freezer.
A DOG WARDEN has appealed for information after he discovered a strange limb washed up on a beach.
Frankie Coote, who works for Clare County Council, said he was contacted earlier this year after a limb washed up on a Kilkee beach in the west of the county turned out not to be human.
Gardaí had it taken away and forensically examined when it was first discovered. When it turned out not to be human, Coote was tasked with its disposal.
However, the dog warden said he’d like to get to the bottom of the matter and find out what animal the limb belonged to.
Coote is currently keeping the limb in his freezer.
Speaking on the News At One on RTÉ, he said: “It was washed up at the beach and was believed to be human. So the gardaí removed it and they had tests done on it. They came back and said it was some form of animal and contacted me to dispose of it.
“Then I saw it and it was like a monkey or a gorilla or chimp – some form of primate. I was interested to see where it came from.”
Coote said he has been conducting some research on the internet about the limb – which he says is around the same size, if not bigger, than a human arm. A number of zoos have been contacted about the find but “very few” places deal with this sort of find, according to the dog warden.
“We’re waiting on phone calls from a couple of places in Ireland which do this kind of thing. But I’d like to get to the bottom of it really. It’s an unusual one,” he added.
However, speaking on the Ray D’Arcy show a short time later, Paolo Viscardi of the National Museum of Ireland said that the bone is more than likely not a primate.
He said: “Without context context I thought it’s either armbone or the lower part of a leg. Something like a bear, it’s very chunky. Look at gorillas in the dead museum and the arms are strong but not as chunky as that.
You’re looking like a bear or the flippers of a seal. Looking at it there, it’s very chunky and has a big curve which is what you see in grey seals.
Anyone who can help Coote is being asked to contact Clare County Council.
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