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beached whale died on Mengiat Beach in front of the Ayodya Resort in Nusa Dua earlier this month, adding to the number of whales and dolphins that have suffered a similar fate in Bali.

Found in a state of decay by a lifeguard, the dead sperm whale was 10.2 meters long and weighed 3 tons.

According to the Nusa Dua Reef Foundation (NDRF), Nusa Dua was no stranger to incidents of beached marine mammals because the southern coast of the island sat along a migratory route for several species.

'€œThis is the sixth case of beached whales or dolphins in Nusa Dua since 2003,'€ said Pariama Hutasoit, founder of NDRF.

She said that the first of those cases was a Gervais'€™ beaked whale beached in front of the Grand Hyatt resort in 2003. In 2010, there were three separate incidents of beached Pigmy killer whales. The next case occurred in 2012, when a rough-toothed dolphin was found in front of The Laguna Resort and Spa.  

The recent beached sperm whale is the fourth to have died on Bali'€™s shore in the last 10 years. According to data from the Bali Network of Stranded Sea Mammals, the first occurred in Nusa Penida in 2005, and was followed by similar cases in Batubelig in North Kuta in 2009 and on Gilimanuk Beach in 2010.

'€œWhales are migratory species. They migrate together in couples or in groups led by the oldest female. In Indonesia, the migration route has been identified as passing through the waters off Sumatra, Bali, East Kalimantan, Java, Maluku, Papua, Nusa Tenggara, Timor and Sulawesi,'€ Pariama said.

Whales are protected animals under a 1999 government regulation. Killing or using any parts of a whale violates the 1990 law on conservation of natural resources and the 2009 law on fisheries.

Pariama further said that cases of beached whales or dolphins had to be handled immediately, particularly when the animal had been found dead because carcasses could spread disease in the surrounding environment.

She said the latest case early this month had been handled properly, thanks to the awareness of the lifeguards, who had been trained by the NDRF on how to react when they encountered such a case, and to good coordination among stakeholders.

'€œAs we know cases of beached sea mammals frequently occur in Nusa Dua, we need to improve our readiness, including in preparing necessary heavy equipment to move the animal'€™s carcass and bury it on the beach,'€ she added.

According to data from whalestrandingindonesia.com, the species of 25 percent of the whales and dolphins that had been recorded as having beached in Indonesia could not be identified.   

The most common species found stranded are the Irrawaddy dolphin, sperm whale and short-finned pilot whale.