The stranding of dozens of pilot whales on the shores of Mbadokai\nBeach, Rote Ndao, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on Monday (9\/3\/2026) has\ndrawn public attention.<\/p>\n
This incident involved a total of 55 pilot whales, of which 21 were\nfound dead, while the remaining 34 were successfully herded back into\nthe sea.<\/p>\n
A lecturer from the Faculty of Biology at Universitas Gadjah Mada\n(UGM), Akbar Reza, S.Si., M.Sc., expressed deep concern over the\nevent.<\/p>\n
Pilot whales are animals under full conservation protection, yet\ntheir global population data remains mysterious.<\/p>\n
Akbar emphasised that this recurring incident serves as an \u201calarm\u201d\nfor ecological disturbances in the surrounding waters. Similar events\nhave been recorded previously, such as in Alor (2024) with 50 whales,\nSabu Raijua (2020) with 11 whales, and in Madura with 52 whales.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed, this has happened several times, but just because it occurs\nfrequently does not mean it is natural,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
The NTT region, particularly the Savu Sea and the western part of\nKupang, is an annual migration route. From early to mid-year, these\nwhales migrate from cold waters south of Australia to warmer tropical\nwaters.<\/p>\n
To determine the exact cause of death, necropsy procedures or\nautopsies on the carcasses are required. Based on previous research, one\nkey finding is damage to the echolocation organs\u2014the whales\u2019 navigation\nsystem that relies on sound wave echoes.<\/p>\n
Several factors are suspected to trigger this organ damage, from\nparasites to overlapping human activities such as:<\/p>\n
\u201cRegarding damage to the echolocation organs, this can certainly\nworsen the situation, because if it is damaged when the pilot whale or\nsimilar species moves into shallow areas, it won\u2019t know whether it\u2019s\nshallow or still deep. It\u2019s like the sensor is broken,\u201d Akbar\nstated.<\/p>\n
Akbar urged the public to follow handling protocols if they encounter\nstranded whales, such as not sitting on the animals, not taking selfies,\nand not covering their blowholes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf covered, it will cause them to die faster, become more lethargic,\nand overheat, as they have a lot of fatty tissue and need plenty of\nwater. Those protocols are important,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n
To date, the biggest challenge in uncovering the exact causes of\nwhale deaths in Indonesia is the limited equipment and number of\nveterinarians with specialised capacity to perform necropsies on large\nmarine mammals.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/55-pilot-whales-stranded-in-rote-ntt-sensor-damage-due-to-noise-pollution-1775606624", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }