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Few things in nature are as tragic as the sight of a large magnificent whale struggling helplessly on a beach, left to die. By now you must have seen the heart breaking pictures of the blue whale stranded in Alibaug, 100 kms off Mumbai.
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The most heartbreaking fact is that, it was only recently in May that a group of marine biologists spotted a pair of mother-calf blue whales in India, off the coast of Sindhudurg, after 100 years. The last reported sighting of the blue whale in an Indian coastline was in 1914.
This was the fourth incident of whales getting beached in Maharashtra (not the blue whale).The first three happened in April 2015 which left marine experts concerned over the number of dead whales surfacing around the coastline of Mumbai.
But whales are masters of the sea, are they suddenly getting confused or are there other reasons for their stranding?
Why Do Whales Get Beached?
Still rare in India, whale beachings are becoming alarmingly common in the world. Just last month, 20 whales died due to dehydration on the coastline of Chile. In Feb 2015, nearly 200 whales got stranded in the King’s Island of Tasmania.
So are all the whales of the world getting disoriented?
Well, turns out, beachings are not a new thing. Mass stranding of dolphins, whales and other marine animals date back to the time of Aristotle. It remains one of nature’s most heartbreaking mysteries but scientists have certain theories:
1) Whales are catching a prey and they accidentally get caught up in a tide and come close to the shore. Looks a little improbable but with the combination of wild monsoons in Maharashtra and the rough sea, this could be a reason.
2) Whales have their own navigation system. They send out a sonar pitch from the head region and receive echoes back about coastlines and sea floors. Now navy ships also send sonar sounds and they are so loud that they can cause bleeding in the mammals. Could it be that the blue whale moved away from distressing sounds into unfamiliar waters and it turned out unsafe?
3) Whales are very cohesive, social animals. If one whale is sick, the whole group follows it to the shallow waters while it takes refuge. At this point if a tide comes, whales might wind up on the beach. This is the explanation for most mass strandings and not a singular one.
4) Toxic algae: Harmful toxic algae, known as “red tides”, common across the Gulf Coast are a known cause of whale strandings. The Alibaug beach does not have this issue but the 2010 collision between two ships, MSC Chitra and MV Khalijia, off the coast of Mumbai caused 400 tonnes of garbage, plastics and oil to spill on the coastline. Till 2013, sludge and tar balls appeared in the Alibaug beach. Plastics, we know, are hard to degrade.
Could the toxic waste have poisoned the whale, damaged its internal organs and caused it to beach itself?
Beached Marine Animals: What You Can Do
Instead of clicking selfies and taking videos (kids were dancing on top of the dead whale), here’s what you should do if a marine animal winds up on the shore:
If you are not a marine biologist, stay away, call for help. Sadly, India is not equipped to handle such a situation, hopefully, a tragedy of this magnitude will wake up the authorities.
Call the District Magistrate’s office, local civic body and the police to immediately inform them. A timely call can save the mammal’s life. In this case the blue whale was stuck for over 18 hours.
Dolphins and whales breathe through the blowhole (picture below), make sure that is not blocked or underwater. Gather locals and gently roll the animal onto their front belly, so the blowhole is facing upwards.
Constantly pour sea water on the animal. It is important to ensure the skin it wet.
Keep people and dogs away: The circus that happened in Alibaug is a strict no-no. Dolphins and whales are not used to humans and crowding adds undue stress.
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