More whale carcasses wash ashore in Honnavar, takes count to three in one week

Honnavar: 16 September 2023 (Bhatkallys News Bureau)  In what turned out to be the third such instance within a week, locals here found two dead whale bodies on Kasarkod Tonka Beach. 

The discovery included a young female Baleen whale, around 26 feet long, and a juvenile whale. Just a week ago, on September 9, a massive 46-foot-long male Baleen whale was found stranded near Mugali Marine Sanctuary in Honnavar taluk.

People in the area think that the whales might have been hurt by ships, but authorities are still checking the cause of death. They are sure it's not due to hunger or getting stuck in ghost nets.

Ghost nets are fishing nets left or lost in the sea that can harm marine life.

According to Honnavar Deputy Conservator of Forests Ravishankar C., experts think these whales probably died around 20 days ago. The Forest Department doesn't have marine biologists, so they are getting help from NGOs and researchers to figure out reasons of the deaths of the whales.