The carcass of a whale 22 haat (cubits) long and 15 feet wide is stuck in a forest on the bank of the Payra river in Barguna. Local people spotted it on Monday (1 July) and spread the news on social media. The Forest Department, environmental activists and locals rushed to the spot, and curious crowds gathered to see it.

Locals said the half-rotten, headless whale got stuck at noon in the Chhonbuniar Char area of Baliatali union in Sadar upazila. They said the dead whale may have floated in on the night's tide and become stranded. Officials of the upazila administration, police, Forest Department, and livestock and fisheries departments came to the spot.

Local resident Younus Mridha said: "The part of the fish that has washed up is very big. We have never seen such a big whale. Parts of its body have rotted and it is giving off a foul smell."

Local environmental activist Arif Rahman said whales do not normally come to the coast without a particular reason. "It is 22 haat long and 15 feet wide. It is thought to be a deep-sea whale. The dead whale is spreading a stench and polluting the surrounding area. The authorities could preserve its bones for research. An expert team will come from Patuakhali on Tuesday, and then we can say what its overall condition is," he said.

Sagarika Smriti, an associate researcher on WorldFish's ECOFISH-II Bangladesh project, which works on the blue economy, the coastal environment and biodiversity, told Jago News that it is a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), a species of baleen whale. It is one of the larger rorqual species; adults are 39-52 feet long and weigh about 25-30 tonnes.

She said the humpback has a distinctive body shape, with two long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. They can be recognised by their behaviour when they surface to breathe, and they are popular with whale watchers. Males produce a complex song lasting 10 to 20 minutes, which they can sing for hours at a time. All the males in a group produce the same song, which differs each season. Its purpose is not clear, though it may play a role in mating.

On the cause of death, the researcher said these whales travel 1,600 km a year, and often come in on a strong high tide and get stranded at low tide. It may have died after its path was blocked in this way. Judging by its length, she said, it appears to be a male.

Barguna Sadar Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Mizanur Rahman said police, including the in-charge of Babuganj outpost, had been sent to the spot for details.

Barguna Sadar upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Shamim Mia said a half-rotten whale carcass had been found at Chhonbuniar Char on the Payra river. Why the whale died is not yet known. Police have been sent to the spot. As the dead whale may rot and give off a stench, it must be buried quickly in a pit, he said.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.