For the first-time, a Bryde's Whale had washed ashore on the western coastline.
The behemoth carcass of the Bryde's Whale, which had washed ashore at the Juhu beach, was buried in the same location on Friday evening.
With assistance from two-cranes and over 50 personnel, Forest Department enfolded the 40-feet-long mammal, weighing around 12-tonnes, in a 10-feet-deep pit on the suburban beach.
"We have selected a secluded spot unfrequented by people, to bury the whale. The police will keep patrolling the area and keep an eye on the grave for next couple of months," Assistant Conservator of Forest, Makrand Ghodke said.
The department was forced to bury the mammal at the beach, because as the day progressed, the stench from the rotting carcass became too intense, which led to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) cancelling its plans to transport it across the city, all the way to Navi Mumbai.
"It will take around three to four months for the carcass to decompose. The skeletal remains will then be unearthed and taken to our centre in Airoli for preservation and display," Ghodke said, while adding that, the work by veterinarians has been completed, parts of organs harvested and sent to the forensic lab for analysis.
For the first-time, a Bryde's Whale had washed ashore on the western coastline. Previously, Humpback and Blue Whale carcasses have beached on the shore from Palghar in Thane district upto Sindhudurg in the southern tip of Maharashtra. "These gentle giants swim in deep waters of oceans and rarely come close to the shore. Our investigations will be on as to see what was the reason of death of this beautiful creature," Ghodke said.
Environmentalist, marine biologists and state government officials continue to be puzzled over the appearances of carcasses of marine mammals in the waters hugging Mumbai.
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