Only three of the 45 short-winged pilot whales survived trapping in shallow waters off the island of Madura in Indonesia off the northeast coast of Java.
BANGKALAN, Indonesia – Only three of the 45 short-winged pilot whales survived stranded on Friday in the shallow waters of Indonesia’s Madura Island off the northeast coast of Java, officials said.
The three whales were pushed back to sea by volunteers and local authorities along Modung Beach in East Java province.
Khofifah Indar Parawansa, the governor of East Java, said authorities are investigating the cause of death, while the carcasses will be buried around the coast.
“Volunteers helping them return to the ocean said some of the whales have returned to the coast because their mothers are still stranded on the beach,” Parawansa said.
According to data from Whale Stranding Indonesia, last year there were 59 beach incidents in the country, mostly dugongs and spinning dolphins.