A 14.9-foot-long whale shark which was washed ashore near Sunapur in Odisha’s Ganjam district died despite attempts by fishermen to save it.
According to forest officials, the whale shark was found by local fishermen on Sunday. As it was alive then, the fishermen pushed it into the sea. But late Sunday evening, it came to the shore with the high tide and then died.
According to Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer Amlan Nayak, department officials seized the carcass for autopsy.
A veterinary surgeon from Chikiti veterinary hospital conducted the autopsy at Sunapur coast on Monday. Then the carcass was buried with the help of a crane.
‘No food found’
The whale shark weighed around 2,000 kg. Initial autopsy findings hint that it had no food in its stomach, suggesting that it may have been ailing for some time and had stopped taking food.
High tide had swept the weak animal from deep sea to the coast.
On February 19, another whale shark had been found by fishermen near Gopalpur coast. The fishermen had been able to push it into the deep waters to save it.
According to zoologist and cetacean expert Muntaz Khan, whale sharks are annual visitors to the Odisha coast. In the past, the carcasses have been found near Gopalpur, Rushikulya river mouth, Chilika lake coast, Devi river mouth, Bhitarkanika and Balasore on Odisha coast.