A 18-meter sperm whale that washed up on a beach in Bali was due for an autopsy on Thursday, conservation officials on the Indonesian island said.
The whale, which weighed several tons, was first found alive on a beach on the tourist island on Wednesday and then released into the sea by the authorities and residents.
But a few hours later he was stranded again on another beach, where he died with no apparent injuries, Permana Yudiarso, a local maritime affairs and fisheries official, told AFP.
“We are still investigating the causes of death. We want a scientific explanation as to whether pollution or plastic (waste) is to blame.”
Coroners and veterinarians were on the spot to investigate the causes of death of the sperm whale, whose carcass was due to be buried in the coming days.
“Today we’re going to do an autopsy, and then we’ll use an excavator to bury the carcass around here,” the official said.
Police blocked access to the beach in Klungkung district to prevent any theft of whale meat or parts of the animal.
Sperm whales often approach beaches when they are sick or dying, Permana Yudiarso noted.
In 2018, a sperm whale was found in Indonesia with more than 100 glasses and 25 plastic bags in its stomach, a dramatic example of the scale of the plastic waste problem at sea off the Southeast Asian archipelago.
Indonesia is the second-biggest producer of plastic waste in the sea after China.