Kendrapara, April 9 -- The decomposed carcass of a 32-foot-long Bryde's whale was found Thursday morning at Madali mouth within the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, officials confirmed.
Ranger of the sanctuary, Kapilendra Pradhan, said the whale may have died over a week ago in deep waters, as the carcass was highly decomposed, showing visible scars and signs of past entanglements.
The Block Veterinary Officer of Rajnagar, along with forest personnel, conducted a post-mortem at the site. Tissue and viscera samples were collected to be sent to the Zoological Survey of India at Gopalpur.
These samples will help determine the whale's species, gender, genetic diversity, population health, and pollution exposure.
"Only after the analysis report ...