Bhubaneswar: The carcass of a 35-feet-long mammoth whale, an endangered species, washed ashore at Mandarmani in East Midnapore district of West Bengal, Monday.
Sources said that local fishermen found the endangered mammal’s head lying in a pool of blood and there were injury marks on its tail and body.
On being informed, local police and officials from the state forest department rushed to the spot and started investigating the weight and age of the whale.
They are also checking external injuries areas of the carcass, which indicate some possibilities of poaching or boat accident.
The forest officials said that the actual cause behind the death of the whale will be ascertained after postmortem of the carcass.
Mandarmani, a popular tourist destination, is 150 km away from Kolkata. This is the first time that such an occurrence has been chanced upon in this area. The news has generated much excitement among the locals. Locals are taking pictures and sharing those on social media.
Earlier May 23, a 40-feet-long whale had washed ashore in the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary area in Odisha’s Kendrapara district. That whale, too, had injury marks on its body.
Also Read: 40-ft-long whale carcass washes ashore in Kendrapara
PNN
