Find The Stranded Whale, This Is The First Way Of Help According To Experts

The stranded whale could not be rescued dead on Batu Lumbang Beach, Tabanan Regency, Bali, recently. (doc. KKP)

JAKARTA - Cetacean expert from James Cook University, Australia, Putu Liza Kusuma Mustika shared advice to coastal communities if there was an incident of whales stranded in the surrounding environment.

"The most important thing is crowd control, because many members of society ride animals or attract animal limbs, and instead of helping with the rescue process," he said during an online discussion activity in Jakarta, Wednesday, September 25, which was confiscated by Antara.

Furthermore, Icha, as he is familiarly called, emphasized the importance of controlling the crowd, one way to do this can be obtained by contacting the local security forces, to be given a police line.

Then, he continued, people who knew about it could contact the head/device of the local village, to forward information on the stranding of the whale to relevant stakeholders.

"If the masses can be controlled and there are community leaders who can be contacted, the community can help by wetting the skin of the animal, but not in the respiratory area," he said.

Icha emphasized that the act of putting water in a whale's respiratory hole, which is often done by the general public, is very dangerous for the whale itself, because whales are mammals that breathe with the lungs.

In addition, in the evacuation process, he continued, related officers should not pull the whale's fin, because the fin consists of soft bones that are fatal to the whale.

The community, he said, was also advised not to interfere with / penetrate the stranded whale's body, because this animal is in a weak condition and needs proper handling.

As for preventing cases of stranded whales, said Icha, people who find whales directly in their habitat should stop 150 meters from the whales, and turn off the ship's engines and let the whales come/go.

"If you see whales or dolphins, don't block them or follow them, because they can damage social cohesion and can cause them to panic. If they panic, it will make them stressed, sick, and then stranded," said Icha.