A large 50-foot long Bryde's whale was washed on the shore of the Juhu beach on Thursday midnight.
Officials of the Mangrove Cell along with BMC officials are engaged in clearing operations at the beach, N Vasudevan, Chief Conservator of Forests, Mangrove Cell told The Hindu on Friday.
"It is about 50 feet. It must have died one or two days ago. It died at sea and was washed ashore. The body has not completely degenerated, but it has become bloated. We have the challenge of disposal of the carcass, which could be around 25,000 kg," Mr. Vasudevan said.
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Officials are looking for a burial place for the mammal. Mr. Vasudevan said the organs cannot be preserved as there is the risk of explosion due to the bloating of the body, which is filled with gas. Moreover, the administration lacks the expertise to preserve whale’s carcass.
The CCF pointed out that in the last year, there were six sightings on the Bryde's whale in Sindhudurg and one sighting on the Blue whale in Alibaug.