‘Seriously rotten’ finless porpoise carcass found on Hong Kong outlying island
Discovery of 162cm-long sea mammal on Tuesday raises tally of beached cetaceans in the city this year to 15
A “seriously rotten” finless porpoise carcass has been found on the shores of a Hong Kong outlying island, raising the tally of beached cetaceans in the city this year to 15, according to the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation.
The male sea mammal measuring 162 centimetres (64 inches) in length was found on Cheung Chau on Tuesday.
The foundation said no abnormality was observed on its surface, but food remnants and “a very small amount of fishing lines” were found in its stomach.
The findings came from a dissection on Wednesday, which also revealed “seriously rotten” guts, the foundation said. Samples were taken back to Ocean Park for a detailed analysis.
The foundation urged the public to contact the 1823 hotline if they encountered any suspected stranding cases involving whales, dolphins, sharks, or skates and to provide information regarding the time, location, and photographs of the stranding.
This would enable follow-up work on the case to be conducted as soon as possible, the foundation said, appealing to the public to dispose of their rubbish properly when going out to sea.