Why Was There A Stranded Sperm Whale in Wakatobi, Indonesia - Opinion - Eco-Business - Asia Pacific

4/27/23, 6:01 AM Why was there a stranded sperm whale in Wakatobi, Indonesia?
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Opinion • Waste Management
Why was there a stranded sperm whale in

Wakatobi, Indonesia?
The dead whale, found with 5.9 kg of plastic in its stomach, is a wakeup call
for the damage plastic pollution is doing to our oceans and marine life. It also
shows us that plastic pollution is a transboundary problem that all
countries share.
By Sharon Salim 5 minute read • Nov. 30, 2018
https://www.eco-business.com/opinion/why-was-there-a-stranded-sperm-whale-in-wakatobi-indonesia/ 1/8
4/27/23, 6:01 AM Why was there a stranded sperm whale in Wakatobi, Indonesia? | Opinion | Eco-Business | Asia Pacific
Earlier this month, a 9.5-metre sperm whale was found stranded off the coast in Kapota
Island, Wakatobi — dead.
The cause of death was unknown.
But what we do know is that 5.9 kg of plastic was found in its stomach.
On the scene of the incident was non-governmental group World

Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indonesia. WWF-Indonesia’s campaign
Coastal
community and mobilisation manager Dewi Satriani talks us through the incident.
alarmed by
frequent whale
shark strandings
Below is information on the timeline of what happened, and
in Bay of Bengal everything you need to know.
Read now →
1. The whale was found by a local on a Sunday evening

WWF-Indonesia received a report from a community member of Kapota Island in Wakatobi

on Sunday evening, November 18 informing of an incidence of a dead whale stranded off
the coast.
The next Monday morning, November 19 at 7.30 AM local time, WWF-Indonesia, Wakatobi
National Park, Wakatobi Marine and Fisheries Community Academy were deployed to the
scene and discovered a whale carcass suspected to be a sperm whale.
2. The whale was already in an advanced state of decay

This is the reason why it was not possible to conduct a necropsy to investigate the cause of
death. In this stage of decay (level 4), the carcass was already releasing an overpowering
stench and the body was not intact. A necropsy can only be done if the stranded whale was
still in level 2 of decay; when the skin still appears tight, emitting no smell, and the eyes still
shine.
3. Identifying the whale was still possible

Even though the whale body was no longer intact, WWF-Indonesia marine species
specialist Dwi Suprapti conducted a photo analysis of the carcass sent by the WWF-
Indonesia team and identified the stranded whale as a sperm whale (Physeter
macrocephalus). It has a block-shaped head, narrow jaw and teeth.
Sperm whales are the largest toothed-whale, unlike other large-sized counterparts that are
toothless. The possibility of it being a baleen whale was also ruled out thanks to the
absence of prominent, iconic features of baleen like the rostral ridge and ventral grooves.
This further confirms the fact that the stranded whale is a sperm whale (and not a blue
whale as some news outlets have reported).
4. Finding a stranded whale in Wakatobi waters is not common

“Whales do migrate through Wakatobi waters. In certain seasons we can see many
different kinds of whales passing through Wakatobi islands, but stranding is not common.
This was the only time we found a stranded whale, which was also [alarming] because we
also found plastics in its abdomen,” Satriani said.
5. The locals decided to cut open the abdomen of the carcass
The chunks of black material (left) are plastic raffia strings. A rubber-canvas sandal (right) with the Ardiles
brand logo visible was among the finds. Image: Muhammad Irpan Tassaka
There were 115 plastic cups (750g), 19 pieces of hard plastic (140g), four plastic bottles
(150g), 25 plastic bags (270g), one nylon sack (200g), and more than 1,000 pieces of
plastic raffia string (3,260g), totaling 5.9 kg inside the stomach, according to the
identification result conducted by Wakatobi Marine and Fisheries Community Academy.
“This discovery is deeply upsetting. It is a wake-up call for Indonesia about how plastic
pollution is causing irreparable damage to our oceans and marine life. We urge businesses
and governments to work together to address this issue urgently to prevent further plastic
leakage into our oceans.” said Suprapti.
6. There was no crowd management or public boundaries during the incidence

So as not to interfere or disturb the stranded whale, public members without any Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) including eye and face protection, gloves, and coveralls were
advised to remain at a distance. This is a crucial protective measure to avoid any exposure
of bacteria, virus or other dangerous microorganism emitted by the decomposed mammal
and transmissible to human.
When the stranded whale is in the advanced state of decay, direct contact to the carcass
can transmit the bacteria through breathing. It affects human and may cause allergic
reactions, high fever, and infections.
7. The whale carcass was buried two days after it was discovered
It was buried on November 20 at Kolowawa Beach, North Kapota in Wakatobi for later
retrieval of the bone specimen by the Wakatobi Marine and Fisheries Community
Academy.
8. Plastic pollution is a transboundary problem that all countries share

Although it remains uncertain whether the plastics were lodging the sperm whale’s
ingestion organ or caused infections, we can’t turn a blind eye to how plastics production
and pollution are still growing exponentially.
Every year, 8 million tonnes of plastics enter the ocean. By 2050, the total mass of ocean
plastic will exceed that of fish. Plastic debris kills an estimated 100,000 marine mammals
annually, as well as millions of birds and fishes.
9. Beach clean-ups are not enough to solve the problem

A big part of marine pollution comes from land sources, including rivers. Tackling the root
of plastic pollution goes beyond fragmented actions and blaming individuals for the
choices they cannot influence. An effective response to this crisis requires a global
systemic change involving businesses and governments — and supported by consumers.
10. You cannot solve this issue alone

Knowing that marine plastic pollution goes beyond Indonesia and the region, the global
crisis requires global governance solutions. It is the onus of the governments and
businesses to fix the broken system which is enabling plastics leakage into the
environment.
Businesses need to take responsibility for the full life cycle of their products and play their
part in helping governments deal with this issue.
Sharon Salim is an impact communicator at WWF-Singapore, working on editorial writing,

copyrighting and digital marketing.
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4/27/23, 6:01 AM Why was there a stranded sperm whale in Wakatobi, Indonesia?

| Opinion | Eco-Business | Asia Pacific

Winner | Asian Digital Media Awards 2022

Opinion • Waste Management

Why was there a stranded sperm whale in

By Sharon Salim 5 minute read • Nov. 30, 2018

The cause of death was unknown.

On the scene of the incident was non-governmental group World

1. The whale was found by a local on a Sunday evening

WWF-Indonesia received a report from a community member of Kapota Island in Wakatobi

2. The whale was already in an advanced state of decay

3. Identifying the whale was still possible

4. Finding a stranded whale in Wakatobi waters is not common

5. The locals decided to cut open the abdomen of the carcass

6. There was no crowd management or public boundaries during the incidence

8. Plastic pollution is a transboundary problem that all countries share

9. Beach clean-ups are not enough to solve the problem

10. You cannot solve this issue alone

Sharon Salim is an impact communicator at WWF-Singapore, working on editorial writing,

Did you find this article useful? Join the EB Circle!

Find out more and join the EB Circle →

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