A dead Bryde’s whale was washed ashore at the beach in Kannathur early on Monday morning. The whale was nearly 22.5 feet long and was found with a cut mark on its tail.
A team from the Forest Department as well as the local police and members of the Tree Foundation went to the spot after the mammal was spotted.
“We believe that the whale could have died due to drowning a couple of days ago and the carcass was then washed ashore. A pit which was six feet deep was dug up and an earthmover was used to bury it,” said M. Narasimhan, Range Officer, Thirupporur.
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Supraja Dharini, chairperson, TREE Foundation, said that this was the ninth tropical whale that had seen washed ashore since 2006, along the coast in the area.
“We estimated that the mammal weighed nearly 3 tonnes because more than 10 people tried to move the mammal but could not. Bryde’s whales, or tropical whales, are found both offshore and near the coast in tropical and sub-tropical places and are known to approach boats and ships out of curiosity,” she said.
She further said that since the body of the whale seemed fresh and a rope had been found near the tail, fishermen in the area could have found the whale injured and then towed it to the shore.
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