42ft-long dead whale washes up on Puri shores

BHUBANESWAR: The body of a big whale washed up on a beach at Brahmagiri, about 30 km from Puri, on Sunday.
"Some fishermen informed us of the whale's body on the beach. Upon reaching, we found several injury marks on it. We immediately cordoned off the body to prevent stray dogs and vultures from coming near it," said Satapada forest ranger Achyutananda Das. The animal weighed around 10 tonnes and was 42 feet in length and 28 feet wide.
The exact cause of its death will be ascertained after vets perform an autopsy, following which it will be buried.
"We suspect that the whale must have died several days ago before it washed ashore at Brahmagiri," said Das.
As forest officials used a crane to lift the corpse, a large number of locals thronged the lesser-known beach to catch a glimpse of the whale.
This is the second time this year that a dead whale has washed up on a beach in Puri district.
On February 16, a 38 feet whale was found near the mouth of the Mangala river at Puri.
Earlier this year, a 33 feet long sperm whale beached on the Ganjam district coast in February.
A 66 feet long female whale washed ashore at Chinchira beach in Kendrapara district in the same month.
On February 9, a 50 feet long whale was found on the coast near Motagaon in the Brahmagiri area.
The Regional Museum of Natural History here has preserved the skeleton of a 47 feet baleen whale which washed ashore the Gopalpur beach in June, 2010.