An 18-metre long sperm whale washed up on a beach in Bali was scheduled for an autopsy on Thursday, conservation officials said on the Indonesian island.
The cetacean, weighing several tons, was first found alive on a beach on the tourist island on Wednesday, then released into the sea by authorities and locals.
But Permana Yudiarso, the local official in marine affairs and fisheries, told AFP he was stranded again a few hours later on another beach where he died without apparent injuries.
We are still investigating the causes of his death. We want a scientific explanation, whether it is pollution or plastic waste (waste).
Forensic experts and veterinarians were scheduled to go to the site to determine the causes of death of the sperm whale, whose carcass was scheduled to be buried in the coming days.
“Today we will do an autopsy, and then we will use an excavator to bury the body near here,” the official said.
The police blocked access to the beach in the Klungkung district to prevent any theft of cetacean meat or animal parts.
Permana Udiarsu noted that sperm whales often come close to shores when they are sick or dying.
In 2018, a sperm whale was found in Indonesia with more than 100 cups and 25 plastic bags in its stomach, a dramatic illustration of the scale of the plastic waste problem in the sea off the Southeast Asian archipelago.
Indonesia is the second largest contributor to marine plastic litter after China.
