A Bryde’s whale carcass spotted by tourists north of Phuket two days ago has been found washed ashore at Thai Muaeng Beach, in Phang Nga province.
Marine life experts from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC) launched a search for the 20-meter-long whale carcass after it was spotted by tourists about 12 nautical miles from Tab Lamu Pier, near the Similans National Park, on Wednesday.
The carcass was expected to reach the Sarasin Bridge, at the northern tip of Phuket, late that afternoon.
“At first we thought it would turn up somewhere on a Phuket beach, or maybe near the Sarasin Bridge,” Dr Rachawadee Jantra of the PMBC said.
“But our team spotted the carcass at Thai Mueang Beach, about 1.5 kilometers from the Khao Lampi National Park, at about 6pm yesterday.”
PMBC experts confirmed that the Bryde’s whale was female, Dr Rachawadee said.
“Tissue and bone samples have been collected to take to our laboratory so we can determine the cause of death of the mammal,” she added.
“We are not sure what caused the death, but we are certain it was not from a fishing net. Our team did not find any food or obstruction in its digestive system either,” Dr Rachawadee said.
The whale’s remains have been buried on site at the beach.
“We brought in a backhoe to bury the body deep under the sand and covered it with lime to prevent any contamination,” Dr Rachawadee said.
Story: Phuket News
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