30-feet-long dead whale washes up on Mumbai's Juhu beach

In another incident of whale beaching in India, a 30-feet-long dead Bryde's whale washed up on Mumbai's popular Juhu beach on Thursday night. Experts say the whale, weighing around four tonnes, had died at sea.

The whale was first spotted by joggers last night, and huge crowds of spectators had gathered on the beach by Friday morning. Officials are still debating how to handle the carcass, including finding a crane equipped to lift it and a place to bury it. Experts say the whale may explode because of the build-up of gas inside its decomposing body.

Environmentalist are still ascertaining the cause of the whale's death, which could be due to underwater sound pollution, industrial pollution, plastic consumption or disease. The Bryde's whale is found in both warm temperate and tropical waters. There have been six sightings of the species in the region in the last year. 

The incident has again highlighted the need for a team to deal with beaching incidents. Last year, a 42-feet-long blue whale washed up at Alibaugh near Mumbai, but died after efforts to push her back into the sea failed. Earlier this January, around 100 short-finned whales were stranded at a beach in southern India's Tamil Nadu. While around 40 of them were saved, the others died.

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Culled from YAHOO