Gujarat: Whale calf washes ashore Surat coast, dies despite rescue efforts

Surat: A whale calf died after getting washed ashore in Gujarat’s Surat for the second time in two days despite efforts by locals and the forest department to rescue and release it safely into the Arabian Sea, a senior official said on Tuesday.

A calf of a Bryde's whale was first spotted stranded on the shore near Mor village in Olpad taluka of the district on the evening of August 27, said Sachin Gupta, deputy conservator of forests (DCF) Surat.

At least 150 villagers worked tirelessly to keep the mammal alive, as it was not possible to send an animal weighing 3 tonnes back into the sea without the help of a bulldozer and high tide, the officer said.

"The villagers kept the whale alive by pouring water on it. While we waited for the high tide, a pond was dug and seawater was filled into it using a pump set. The whale was pushed into the pond to ensure that it survives until the high tide. This helped the whale to survive overnight," Gupta said.

The mammal was released into the sea on Monday afternoon with the help of a bulldozer during the high tide. But it was again pushed back to the shore, he said.

"We pushed it deeper into the sea using a boat and it was not sighted for a long time, so we were hopeful that it had returned to the deep sea," the officer said.

"However, around 5.30 pm on Monday, we received information that it was again pushed back to the shore some 300 metres away from where it was last found. We went there with a veterinarian, who declared it dead after examination," Gupta said.

A post-mortem was conducted and the mammal was buried at night, he said.

The whale had not eaten anything for a long time, as its stomach was found empty. It also possibly suffered some kind of internal injury due to which it couldn't swim, he said.

Samples have been sent for testing to ascertain the exact cause of its death, the official said.