In 2015, a young finback whale came into the port of Ghent on the bow of a ship from Brazil. The young animal, measuring almost 12 metres long, had died at sea and was brought to land by the fire brigade. The animal’s skeleton was sent to Ghent University, where it was nicknamed ‘Leo’.

Now Leo can be admired in St Bavo’s Cathedral. The location was not chosen at random. The whale occurs in a story in the Old Testament, and in the Middle Ages, a whale washing up onto the shore was seen as a bad omen. So Leo is linked to belief and religion.