The whale's postmortem was not possible
The whale's postmortem was not possible since the carcass is in a decomposed form.
An 18-feet-long carcass of a whale was washed ashore at Malvan near Nargol beach in Valsad on Wednesday. Forest officials could not confirm the species of the whale since it is decomposed.

Locals spotted the carcass early on Wednesday and they alerted forest officials. A team of forest officials visited the spot and collected samples for further investigation to find out if the whale was killed or died naturally.

"Its postmortem is not possible since the carcass is decomposed. We will try to find out if it is natural death or if it was killed," deputy conservator of forest Yadu Bhardwaj told TOI.


The carcass is around eight-feet-wide. "Due to its huge size, we are yet to finalise on its disposal. According to rules its cremation and burial both are permissible but looking at its size its burial will be a better option. It is not yet finalised," said Bhardwaj.

People from nearby villages gathered at the spot to see the huge carcass. In the recent past the carcass of a dolphin was also found on the coast of Malvan.

In the past, carcasses of whales and dolphins were found on beaches of Valsad, Navsari and Surat. In 2013 the carcass of a dolphin was found in river Tapi.