Dead whale shark washes ashore at Puri beach

Puri: Forest officials today recovered the carcass of a 16-ft long whale shark which washed ashore near Light House here drawing crowd in huge numbers.

Many were amused to see the carcass and were busy taking photographs before forest officials reached the spot.

The length of the schedule-1 marine creature is around 16 ft and width is 9 ft, Range Officer Asit Mishra said.

“When it was floating in the sea, we suspected that it might be the carcass of a whale. But, when it washed ashore, we confirmed that it belongs to shark species,” Mishra added.

The photographs of the marine animal were sent to top wildlife experts.

The reason of casualty is not known. It can only be ascertained after post mortem, he pointed out.

The body will be buried after autopsy.