Third whale to be found dead in 2 days

The carcass of a 50-feet long sperm whale was washed ashore at Uyyali Kuppam village near Kalpakkam, Kancheepuram district late on Saturday. This is the third whale to be washed ashore near the city in two days.

The whale, according to Supraja Dharini of TREE Foundation, was a full grown adult male. She said the carcass had superficial injuries, started to decompose and oil globules were present on the dorsal side of the body. The whale was buried in the village, in the presence of staff from the Forest Department of Kancheepuram district.

A 35-feet long female sperm whale was washed ashore at Alambari Kuppam, near Marakanam, on Saturday morning. The Foundation’s Sea Turtle Protection Force members spotted the dead whale on the beach and a stranded sperm whale was washed ashore on Friday.

Similarly, a dead dolphin was found at Semmancherry Kuppam by the Foundation during a patrolling of sea turtle nesting. It was a slender Spinner Dolphin measuring five feet. This is the fourth carcass of a dolphin to be washed ashore along Chennai’s coast since January 27. Environmentalists attribute the death of the creatures to various reasons, including being hit by vessels on the Bay of Bengal.