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KOTA BELUD: Residents of Pulau Mantanani were shocked to discover a whale carcass washed ashore, Tuesday.  Divercity Travel Box’s diving instructor known as Ady, 30, said they found the carcass measuring seven metres at 10am.

“I’ve worked on Mantanani for over six years and this is the first time I see a beached whale here. I understand this is not the first time a whale has washed up on this island. There was an incident on Pulau Mantanani Kecil before this,” he said. Ady said the discovery was reported to the relevant non-governmental organisations, but they were instructed to dispose of the carcass.

“When we find a stranded marine life carcass such as a turtle carcass, we usually bury it at the far end of the island. This whale carcass will go through the same procedure,” he said.

According to Ady, based on the stench generated, the whale, believed to be a baleen whale or minke, had been dead for several days before being washed up on Mantanani. As a diver, he said it made him sad to see dead marine life stranded like that and hoped the whale’s death was not due to eating plastic waste in the ocean.