Dead Blue Whale in Kupang Inspected Before Giving Proper Burial
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23 July 2020 12:23 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Kupang national marine conservation office (BKKPN Kupang) announced that it will take samples from the blue whale that was found dead beached at the Nunhila Beach in Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara, before giving the giant mammal a proper burial for future research purposes.
The 29-meter-long blue whale that is estimated to weigh over 100 tons will be buried at the Air Cina Beach in Central Kupang.
“Before we bury it, we will take samples from the mammal’s intestines to make sure if there are plastic trash the whale had swallowed,” said BKKPN Kupang Chief Ikram Sangadji on Thursday.
The body of the gigantic dead whale will be handled swiftly to prevent further decomposition which could pose a hazard to surrounding marine mammals and humans if parasites from the blue whale get consumed by marine life in its vicinity.
The BKKPN team have reportedly taken meat and skin samples and have sent them to the Udayana Bali University and Nusa Cendana Kupang University for further analysis.
Read also: 20-meter-long Whale Washes Ashore on Rote Ndao Coast, NTT
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