BS News Agency, Barguna, Bangladesh: A 30-foot-long dead whale washed up on the banks of Andharmanik River in Taltoli Upazila of Barguna. The whale washed up from the Andharmanik River adjacent to Kheyaghat in Charpara area of Barobogi Union of the upazila at around 12 noon today, Wednesday. Members of the Forest Department and Coast Guard rescued it after receiving the news.
Pictures BS News Agency.
According to local and Forest Department sources, the dead whale washed up in the Andharmanik River from the Bay of Bengal. Later, local residents brought the whale from the middle of the river to the river bank. However, since the whale had died a few days ago and a foul smell spread, it was floated back into the river.
Upon receiving the news, officials of the Nishanbaria Bit of the Forest Department rescued the dead whale from the river. The Forest Department said that the length of the whale was about 30 feet and the weight could be approximately 5 to 6 tons. The whale's photo was sent to Mir Mohammad Ali, a teacher and researcher at the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University. He said that initially, looking at the photo, it seems that it is a 'baleen' whale. This species is most commonly seen in the Bay of Bengal.
Baleen whales are marine mammals that have fringe-like plates called 'baleen' in their mouths instead of teeth. They use this baleen to filter sea water and survive by eating tiny krill and plankton. The largest animal in the history of the world, the blue whale, belongs to this species. They are huge in size. They can be 20 feet long to 100 feet (blue whale). They eat by filtering water with the hard but flexible baleen plates made of keratin in their mouths. They have two breathing holes or blowholes on their heads. Confirming this information, Taltoli Range Officer of Patuakhali Forest Department Ziaur Rahman told Prothom Alo that the huge whale floating in the river is emitting a foul smell due to its decomposed body. It will be buried to avoid environmental pollution.
Taltoli Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Atish Sarkar said that after receiving the information, a delegation of the Forest Department went to the spot. Coast Guard members are also there. Necessary measures are being taken regarding the dead whale.
Mir Mohammad Ali said that it is not possible to say the cause of the whale's death right now, but several possibilities can be considered. Getting caught in a net, colliding with a large ship, consuming marine pollution and plastic, or being pulled into shallow water by the current while sick could be the reasons. There have also been cases of it entering the river during high tide and getting stuck in the low tide. On-site tests are needed to know the real reason. If samples are collected from the whale's body and the skeleton can be preserved, it can play an important role in research and education.