GWADAR (The Thursday Times) — A blue whale about 30 feet long was found dead on Wednesday on the East Bay coast of Gwadar, behind the Coast Guards office, and WWF-Pakistan has begun investigating the cause.
The whale had been seen swimming in the waters off Gwadar for two days before it reached the shore, local sources said. Muhammad Moazzam Khan, WWF-Pakistan’s technical adviser, said it may have lost its way after entering shallow water, where its navigation could have been affected. The cause of death is still unknown.
Khan called the death a matter of concern for marine biodiversity. Adult blue whales can reach about 100 feet, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which would make this one small for its species.
Pakistan’s coast has seen such cases before. A whale of about 34 feet was found dead on the Gwadar coast in April 2019, one of about 42 feet at Bandari beach in Jiwani in May 2023, a 27-foot Bryde’s whale near Pasni in November 2023, and one of about 35 feet floating near Kantani, Gwadar, in June 2024. WWF-Pakistan keeps records of whales stranded along the coast.
