The rotting carcass of a whale washed ashore on Seseh beach in Munggu, Badung Regency this morning.
Non-profit organization Yayasan Bali Bersih said in a statement received by Coconuts Bali that the sea mammal – suspected to be a common Bryde’s whale – was found by Badung Bali’s baywatch team, Balawista, at approximately 7am. The whale’s head was already destroyed and only its abdomen and fins were intact.
It is estimated that the whale measured 3 to 4 meters long and 1 to 2 meters wide.
“The whale has been buried and samples have been collected. The samples were delivered to Bionesia (a local biodiversity foundation) to be identified,” Yayasan Bali Bersih’s Marine Environment Program Officer Pande Ketut Cahya Krisnanta Arioka told Coconuts in a text message.
Yayasan Bali Bersih worked closely with local authorities including the police, Balawista, the Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA), the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), and local village authorities to supervise the burial.
Pictures of the dead whale have been widely shared by local community social media accounts.
