By: Dwi Aryo

Like any emergency response, efforts to rescue 10 sperm whales stranded on Ujong Kareung beach, Aceh Besar, are faced with a problem of time.

A group of Sperm Whales traveling in the waters of Aceh Besar reportedly stranded on Ujong Kareung beach on Monday (13/11). WWF-Indonesia team from Aceh office immediately moved to the location to rescue the stranded whales. Together with Panglima Laot, PSDKP, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine UNSYIAH, Basarnas, WCS and BBKSDA, six stranded whales were successfully rescued and herded back to the sea.

Efforts to return the 10 stranded sperm whales were carried out with great care and commanded by experts. Thanks to the quick response of the local government, five individual whales were successfully returned to the open sea using a tugboat at midnight local time. This success was followed by the return of another two whales to the sea at dawn.

The next morning (11/14), three other whales that were still stranded on the shoreline were dead. Not long after that, one of the whales that had previously been rescued returned to shore and breathed its last. The total number of dead whales until this morning is four individuals.

In the event of a marine mammal stranding, a necropsy or examination of the condition of the body tissues of the dead animal is very important. Through dissection, experts can reveal the cause of the stranding and death of the marine mammal, and improve emergency response.

"This incident should be an opportunity to study whales and their migratory routes, but it is constrained by experienced human resources and experts. Indonesia needs to strengthen the stranded marine mammal task force, especially by involving experts in many locations, so that if there is a similar incident the handling can be faster," said Dwi Suprapti, Marine Species Coordinator WWF-Indonesia.

Indonesia alone has more than 35 species of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and one of its sirenian species is the dugong (Dugong dugon). As the largest water country, Indonesia's coasts often see marine mammals stranded. Last year, at least 32 individual pilot whales stranded on the beach of Pesisir Village, Gending District, Probolinggo Regency, East Java. 24 of the whales were rescued.