People in India's East Midnapore district in West Bengal state were stunned to see the carcass of a 36-foot-long endangered whale on Monday. They said it was first such incident of its kind for them.
Visuals from the beach showed injury marks on the humpback’s tail and body as it lie in a pool of its own blood.
The police and officials of the Forest Department in West Bengal are examining the carcass to ascertain the cause of death.
The whales are an endangered species in India and protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. They are often sighted off the coastal states of India adjoining the warm waters of the Bay of Bengal.