Another pilot whale found dead on Indonesian beach


A police officer standing near a stranded short-finned pilot whale at Lie Jaka Beach in Ledeunu subdistrict, Sabu Raijua regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on July 30. - Jakarta Post/Asian News Network

JAKARTA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua): Another pilot whale was found dead on a beach in Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara on Saturday, an official said.

The marine mammal was recovered by residents on the Liebore beach of Sabu Raijua district, the District Police Chief Senior Commissioner Jack Siubelan said.

The animal is likely one of the 11 pilot whales which were hit by the currents on the Lie Jaka beach of the district on Thursday, the police officer said.

Ten of the herd were beached and died and one survived for the moment, according to the officer.

The one found dead on the Liebore beach on Saturday was likely the survivor, the police officer said.

"It was found dead with wounds in many parts of its body," he said, adding that the residents helped dig a pit to bury the dead whale.

Last week, a giant 23-metre blue whale was beached near a coast in East Nusa Tenggara province.

Whales have been frequently washed onto the coast in Indonesia, a vast-archipelagic nation, and many of them were rescued by the local residents and officials, by pushing them back to the sea.

On Friday, it was reported that local fishermen found 11 pilot whales stranded on Lie Jaka and Bekel beaches on Thursday morning.

Only one made its way to the open sea while the other 10 died.

According to the Environment and Forestry Ministry, the Sawu Sea around Sabu Raijua is located within the whale’s migration route.

The beaching occurred only a week after a dead blue whale found stranded and decaying on Na Batu Kepala Beach in Kupang Bay. - Xinhua

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