Yesterday some videos went viral of a stranding case of a Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia sima) in Pantai Semewang, Sanur. The video itself is disturbing, but even more disturbing is the aftermath.
On the first video we see the animal in distress, beaching itself. This is one animal. This is not a fight between dolphins, or between a shark and a whale as some suggest. We can see the animal throwing itself on the rocks in the shallow water and see the animal bleeding. Also we can see a black fluid, like ink. It is known that the Kogia sima extorts this black fluid when in distress, usually to confuse its attacker.
On a second video we see a group of man taking the Kogia sima on land. It is unclear wether the whale is still alive at this point. The location is different from the first video, probaly more east. No GO or NGO has been consulted at this point in time.
The whereabout of the Kogia sima remained unknown, till we received indications in the evening that the whale is cut up in pieces and sold per kilo.
We condemn this irresponsible behavior. Whalemeat is no meat for consumption. Whales are a protected species under the Indonesian law. No GO or NGO has been involved, which disturbs ongoing research and conservation of the Kogia sima of which we expect that a colony is currently calling the sea around South Bali home. This is the 5th stranding of this species in a year time in South Bali.
We are currently looking into taking legal actions against the people who violated the Indonesian law for the protection of wildlife. These crimes should not go unpunished.
In September 2019 Westerlaken foundation was involved in the rescue of another Kogia sima in Serangan. To read our post about that rescue, click here.