Mangalore, Sep 29: A dead young whale shark has washed ashore at the Panambur beach, on the outskirts of the city, far from the endangered giant fish's traditional feeding grounds.
The 10-foot corpse took locals by surprise on the beach on Sunday morning. œIt was near the shore, we thought it was some kind of a deadly shark. When we approached, we saw it was not moving anymore, said a visitor.
œIt was a young shark. We believe that it washed ashore after death in the sea, said Yatish Baikampady, chief executive officer of Panambur Beach Tourism Development Project (PBTDP).
He said that probably it was the first incident of a whale shark found washed ashore at Panambur. The cause of death is yet to be established as the fish bore no external marks.
œIt is 10 feet long and very wide and weighs heavy. As we could not move it, we dug a pit on the beach and buried the shark there, said Mr. Baikampady.
The whale shark, among the largest fish species in the world, is commonly found in deep seas around the Lakshadweep Islands. An average whale shark is around 30 feet in length and weighs around 9,000 kg.
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