Baby humpback washes up at Mumbai’s Carter Road, dies despite rescue efforts

Speaking to The Indian Express, an official from the mangrove cell’s West Mumbai range said, “After workers from the Apco work site flagged the whale sighting, we reached the spot and noted that the baby humpback whale had washed up on the rocks amid heavy tides. Initially, we tried to support the whale and push it back into the water. However, the mammal wasn’t moving. Later, we sent in our teams and fishermen who inspected its body.”

As the humpback whale appeared immobile, it was extracted from the waters using a crane. Personnel from the Coastal Police also supervised the operation.

“After the whale was retrieved, it was examined by doctors, who declared the animal dead,” said the official.

The humpback whale’s carcass was transported to Versova’s shores, where it was buried in the sand.

Samples sent for postmortem

Officials have yet to determine what caused the whale to wash ashore. “We have recorded the samples and sent them for a postmortem in our lab to ascertain the cause,” said an official.

In Mumbai, it is unusual for such mammals to wash ashore along the sea.

“Generally, dolphins and whales wash up on the shoreline in cases where they have incurred injuries,” an official from the forest department said.