A wounded sperm whale that was successfully pushed back into the ocean by the locals after being washed ashore yesterday was found dead about five hours later.
As we reported yesterday, the sperm whale was found with wounds on its body at around 4:30am yesterday on Lepang Beach in Klungkung.
At around 07:54am, the giant mammal was pushed back into the ocean by local residents and authorities with the help of the rising tide.
Unfortunately, the whale was washed ashore again at around 1:30pm on Yeh Maleh Beach in Antiga Kelod Village, Karangasem. After a couple of breaths, it died.
Non-profit organization Yayasan Bali Bersih’s marine environment program officer Pande Ketut Cahya Krisnanta Arioka told Coconuts that the whale is already scheduled for necropsy in order to determine the cause of death.
“The necropsy process will determine if there is trash in its digestive system or other causes of its death,” he said.
The whale’s sex is undetermined due to its position.
Karangasem Police reportedly put a police line around the site to prevent any whale meat theft in addition to controlling the crowd.
Previously, officials estimated that the beached whale weighed around 3 tons and was 10 meters in length. However, authorities today said that it was actually 18.2 meters in length while the weight is undetermined.
Earlier reports stated that the whale was wounded after it got trapped amid reefs in shallow waters.
