Twenty Pilot Whales Die After Becoming Stranded in Waters off Rote Island

Twenty pilot whales that became stranded in the shallow waters of Fuanfuni Village, Rote Barat Daya District, Rote Ndao Regency, could not be saved. Local police and fishermen attempted to rescue the animals by herding them back to the open sea, but not all could be saved.

Rote Barat Daya Sub-District Head Addy Bessie stated that the sub-district government, along with authorities and residents, are currently excavating the beach to bury the whale carcasses using excavators. “A total of 20 whales died. We are currently conducting excavation work to bury them on the beach,” Addy Bessie said when contacted by Media Indonesia on Tuesday (10 March).

He explained that the whale pod was spotted several times in waters near Fuanfuni Village starting Monday (9 March). The shallow water conditions are believed to have caused some whales to become trapped and eventually strand.

Upon receiving reports from residents, police officers and local fishermen immediately headed to the location to conduct rescue operations. Using fishing boats, they attempted to herd the whale pod towards deeper waters to prevent them from becoming trapped again in the shallow area.

Rote Barat Daya Police Sub-Station Chief Ipda Subur Gunawan said that police personnel and fishermen conducted rescue operations with available equipment. “Police officers along with fishermen attempted to herd the pilot whale pod to deeper waters using available equipment,” he said.

According to him, the herding process took considerable time because the whales had to be directed slowly to prevent them from re-entering the shallow waters. The rescue effort lasted three hours until the whale pod reached a safer point at sea, but dead whales were discovered the following Tuesday morning. So far, there has been no explanation regarding the factors that caused the whales to strand.