20-meter-long Whale Washes Ashore on Rote Ndao Coast, NTT

TEMPO.CO, Kupang - A dead whale washed ashore in a mangrove forest on Tasilo village beach, Rote Ndao District, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

Local fishermen on Friday spotted the 20-meter-long whale, with several wounds all over its body, Maria Foes, the Tasilo village chief, confirmed on Saturday

"According to information received from local fishermen, there were injuries all over the whale's body that was swollen, as it appeared to have died since several days ago," she stated.

Ikram Sangadji, head of the Kupang Marine Conservation Agency (BKKPN), confirmed he had deployed a three-member team to identify the type of the whale and cause of death.

Meanwhile, a pilot whale recently washed ashore on South Gorontalo Beach, Tolotio Village, Bone Sub-district, Bone Bolango District, Gorontalo Province, Sulawesi Island.

When local villagers found the whale measuring four to five meters long at around 5 a.m. local time, the animal was still alive.

"However, when the sea water receded, the whale's body hit a coral reef. We noticed that the whale was later dead," Tolotio Village Chief Marlen Hamdata stated.

Several local villagers had attempted to save the whale by pushing it back into the waters but to no avail since the waters had receded and the whale was too heavy.

Pilot whales are known to locals as "Pau Pausu" and are rarely found stranded on the coast.

ANTARA