Mumbai: A nearly 30-foot-long whale was washed ashore at the popular Juhu beach in Mumbai. Locals, who spotted the dead mammal last night, informed the police and the forest department.
Forest officials had contacted marine biologists after spotting it when it was still alive and struggling to survive.
However, the whale had later died. "From initial examination, the whale seems to have died a day or two back. It bloated and was then carried in by the tide to the beach," said Assistant Conservator of Forest (Mangroves Protection Cell) Makrand Ghodke.
He added that internal decomposition of the organs had already started, and the outer skin of the whale, around the tail and stomach had started to peel off.
"We will deflate the carcass on the beach itself, otherwise it could explode," Ghodke added.Ghodke added.
This comes on the heels of over 80 whales getting beached in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, on 12 January this year, leading to the death of around 45 whales.
The carcass has no evident signs of injuries. The team extracted tissue samples for forensic analysis at a lab in Kalina.
There are four veterinarians who will perform the autopsy at the spot on Juhu beach, and then move the carcass to the forest department’s conservatory in Airoli.
Officials plan to preserve the skeletal structure of this whale at the information centre in Airoli of Navi Mumbai.
However, although the whale is considerably young and hasn’t reached full maturity as per its size and weight, it is still too heavy to be moved by human effort. Two hydraulic cranes will be pressed into action to move the carcass to Airoli, on Friday morning.
Ghodke added that this was the second biggest whale to have beached on the western coastline following the washing ashore of the Giant Blue Whale at Alibaugh, last year.
As news of the dead whale beaching at Juhu spread, hundreds of citizens swarmed to the beach trying to take photographs. The Juhu Police were pressed into crowd management with barricading ropes and extra patrolling to prevent people from going near the carcass. Extra personnel from Coastal Police unit were also roped in.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be providing two cranes to move the behemoth mammal on Friday morning.
Forest officials have called in a trailer truck, upon which the dead whale will be loaded to be taken to Airoli.
Part of the beach where the whale carcass lies has also been cordoned off. A team of around 50, including Mumbai Police, BMC and Forest officers, will be manning the operation.
Carcasses of 38 baleen whales were washed ashore recently near the Tiruchendur beach in Tamil Nadu while more than 250 whales stranded in shallow waters were pushed back into the deep sea.
In June last year, a 42-foot-long blue whale was washed ashore at the Revdanda coast, about 17 kms south of Alibaug in the neighbouring Raigad district.
