45-ft whale largest mammal to wash ashore in Mumbai

MUMBAI CITY NEWS: A day after the decomposed carcass washed ashore, the state mangrove cell confirmed that the whale was a Bryde’s whale

The 45-foot-long whale carcass that washed ashore in two pieces at Juhu and Madh beaches on Sunday is the largest mammal to have reached Mumbai’s coastline, officials from the state mangrove cell said.

The 16-foot-long part of the Bryde’s whale carcass that washed ashore Madh beach on Sunday. (Samson Tupdal/HT)

A day after the decomposed carcass washed ashore, the state mangrove cell confirmed that the whale was a Bryde’s whale that was 13.7 metres in length. The Bryde’s whale is the most common baleen whale found along the Indian coast. They can reach a maximum length of 15 metres. It is protected under schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

State mangrove cell officials said the whale’s carcass was buried at Madh beach on Monday afternoon. “After measuring the exact length of the mammal and checking its species, we realised that this was the largest mammal in history to have washed ashore along Mumbai’s coastline. It is a very special documentation for the city. As per preliminary assessment, it is clear that the whale could have died of natural causes,” said Makarand Ghodke, assistant conservator of forest, state mangrove cell.

This was the 14th case of dead marine animal carcass washing ashore Mumbai’s beaches.

The 20-foot portion of the whale that washed ashore Juhu beach on Sunday.

Researchers from the Konkan Cetacean Research Team (KCRT) said the whale was a sub-adult. “We collected tissue samples of the whale and it was a well-coordinated analysis with the mangrove cell. We can rule out the possibility of a ship strike cutting the whale into two because propeller marks on its body were missing. However, the exact cause of death is unknown,” said Mihir Sule, member, KCRT. “We also observed that the whale’s body was scavenged upon by sharks, which is a common phenomenon.”