On Saturday a dead short-finned pilot whale washed up on Cheung Sha Lan in Discovery Bay.
Sadly, though we rooted for her with all our hearts, the whale is suspected to be the same individual spotted in Victoria Harbour near Tsim Sha Tsui less than two weeks ago.
The carcass was found severely decomposed, says the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation (OPCF), which sent their Cetacean Stranding Response Team to investigate both cases.
Whale scientists often use the animals’ dorsal fins to identify individuals, but since the specimen found on Lantau Island was not in a very good state, they could not compare its fin to photos of the one seen in Victoria Harbour.
(Viewer discretion advised: Graphic image below.)
However, Shadow Sin, the assistant manager of scientific projects at OPCF, says it’s likely they are the same animal since “short-finned pilot whales are rare in Hong Kong, and the length of the carcass is similar”.
A 12cm shallow wound was found near its tail, but the researchers aren’t sure if it happened before or after the animal’s death.
“Short-finned pilot whale is found in tropical to warm temperate waters of the world, including the South China Sea and Hong Kong waters,” explained Sin.
(Viewer discretion advised: Graphic image below.)
“They prefer deep waters (depths of 300-500 metres) in a group of 15-50 individuals.”
It is the first time that a short-finned pilot whale has washed up on Hong Kong shores.
Photos: OPCF
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