Whales wash ashore: Another sign of our dying oceans (Part II)
Updated on April 26
(April 26) A juvenile minke whale, about 2.62 meters long, weighing about 0.2 tons, washed ashore off Fuqing City in Fujian Province, China. (Source)
(April 25) Authorities try to push the carcass of the Humpback whale calf back into the ocean, in Durban, South Africa. (Source)
(April 25) A humpback whale was found dead at Diveagar coast in Raigad, Pakistan, last week. This came after two whales of the same species were found beached at Uran and off Priyadarshini Park, Napean Sea Road, on March 29 and March 31. (Source)
(April 24) A eight-metre Minke whale came ashore on Keel beach near Dookinella in Ireland last week and died soon after coming ashore. It was also reported that a second whale came ashore later in the week. However details of the whale are unclear and it is not known if the whale was alive or dead when the rough tide brought the animal back out to sea. The stranding of a whale on Achill is extremely rare with the last reported stranding occurring over 20 years ago. (Source)
(April 25) A “very, very juvenile,” pygmy sperm whale washed up in wild weather at the northern end of Forster Main Beach in New South Wales, Australia. (Source)
(April 23) A dead gray whale just over 30 feet long was discovered on the beach south of San Simeon, on the Pacific coast of San Luis Obispo County, California. The whale appears to be a 2-year-old female, with no obvious cause of death. (Source)
(April 23) A dead gray whale that was found floating in Saratoga Passage, just north of Camano Island State Park in Washington State. At 37 feet long, it has been identified as a male aged six to seven years old and weighing in at about 30 tons. Researchers were also unable to say how the animal died as there were no visible indications of trauma or health problems. (Source)
(April 21) A YOUNG whale is the latest in a string of mammals to be washed up on UK shoreline. The 12ft long whale is thought to have been beached for about two weeks on land behind North Coates Airfield in Lincolnshire, just metres away from a popular dog walking track. (Source)
What can be causing rise in number of whales becoming stranded?
(April 19) Two fisherman in Mexico netted a monstrous catch quite unexpectedly this week: a 2,000 pound great white shark. The enormous shark, which measured almost 20 feet in length, was already dead when caught up in a net cast by commercial fishermen in the Sea of Cortez. (Source)
(April 18) A dead 700-pound pygmy sperm whale washed ashore on Cocoa Beach, Florida at the beach-end of 11th Street South. (Source)
(April 13) A 21-ton whale shark or “butanding” was found dead off the shore of Mauban, Quezon in the Philippines. The whale shark was 27 feet long and 7 feet wide. (Source)
(April 12) A dead whale washed onto the rocks at Buffelsbaai in South Africa. Sea rescue tried for more than a hour to divert it onto the beach, but could not change it’s direction and this meant it came to rest on the rocks. (Source)
(April 11) Environmentalists in Oman are concerned by the recent deaths of two endangered Arabian Sea humpback whales. There are approximately only 100 of the whales in the Arabian Gulf. (Source)
(April 10) An 11-ton female whale shark, locally known as butanding, was found dead by fishermen in waters off Mauban, Quezon, 157 km southwest of Manila in the Philippines. It was 27-foot long and 7-foot wide. Whale sharks can grow up to 40 feet long. They feed only on planktons, acting as living filters to improve overall water quality in the seas. (Source)
(April 7) Two giant Baleen’s humpback whale sharks washed up dead on the Mumbai and Thane beaches in separate incidents last week. This was preceded by a Bryde’s whale shark getting washed ashore at a beach in Ratnagiri, around 250 km south of Mumbai. In the past couple of months alone, over a dozen dead dolphins, usually seen frolicking in the calm blue-green Konkan coast waters, washed up on different virgin beaches in the region. Conservationists suspect chemical or oil poisoning. (Source)
(April 5) Villagers attempt to move a dead whale in Tone-Gwa township, Yangon, Myanmar. (Source)
(April 2) A 12-metre whale which travelled all the way from the Indian Ocean to Saudi Arabia in search for food was found dead on a breach in the United Arab Emirates. (Source)
(April 1) The stench of the rotting carcass hung loosely over the beach in Malabar Hill, India, where the 35-foot-long humpback was spotted floating last afternoon, with gashes on its body. Workers spent around 3 hours trying to clear the humpback’s carcass. (Source)
(March 21) The carcass a Bryde’s whale was found at a beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the same species as a whale that was found off Waiheke Island in New Zealand earlier this year. (Source)
(March 19) A female whale shark was found dead in Camarines Sur, the Philippines. It was 4.6 meters long and 1.2 meters wide. (Source)
(March 19) A 3m female whale shark washed up at Soetwater Resort near Scarborough in South Africa. (Source)
(March 18) The carcass of a dead minke (pronounced minky) whale, with wounds consistent with being caught up in fishing gear, washed up Friday on Crane Beach in Ipswich, Massachusetts. (Source)
(March 18) Four sperm whales, the heaviest weighed 30 to 40 tonnes, and the lightest weighted nearly 20 tonnes, died one day after being stranded on the beach in Jiangsu province, China. (Source)
(March 16) A humpback whale died on the reefs near the shore in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. (Source)
(March 10) A 40-foot gray whale washed ashore onto Long Beach in Portland, Oregon. It is believed to have died in the ocean and brought in by the currents. (Source)
(March 9) Possibly a Southern Right whale washed up on the beach near the South Rakaia Huts in New Zealand. It was about seven metres long. (Source)
(March 8) A DEAD sperm whale, 35 feet in length, weighing an estimated 30 tonnes, washed ashore at Skegness Beach in Lincolnshire, UK. News of the rare occurrence soon spread, prompting crowds to gather, hoping to take a glimpse at the fascinating yet sombre spectacle. (Source)
Large whales washing ashore: Another sign of our dying oceans
Mass Animal Deaths: April 2012
