Student Interest Organization Turtle Guard SEB FVM UNUD held a Stranded Whale Necropsy with IAM Flying Vet

• Posted by: Admin
• Selasa, 18 April 2023
• Has been read 265 time(s)

April 9, 2023 - Profession Interest Turtle Guard, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Udayana University participated in necropsy of a stranded whale at Yeh Leh Beach, Jembrana with IAM Flying Vet team. This activity was managed and assisted by Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam (BKDSA), Balai Pengelolaan Sumber Daya Pesisir dan Laut (BPSPL), Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN), Westernlake Foundation, Environmental Task Force, and local police.

The necropsy was done on a sperm whale, also known as Physeter macrocephalus. The estimated length of the whale’s body is 18 meters followed by 20 tons of body weight. On the previous day (8/4/23), the stranded whale was already found dead at around 1 PM in the sea near beach coast. Separation from crews and old age are suspected to be the cause of whale stranding. However, this are still an assumption thus necropsy is carried out for further examination regarding the exact cause.

  

Due to the difficulty on evacuating the whale’s body because of its weight, the necropsy was done at the beach coast. The evacuation process was assisted by various parties present and the help of excavator, and been done since morning until noon.

Afterwards, the necropsy process lasted for approximately two hours from 14:15 PM until 16:36 PM with two teams each consisting of veterinarians, sample assistant, equipment assistant, incision team, medical recorder, and documentarian. Members of the Profession Interest Turtle Guard actively participated in the necropsy process as assistants and documentarian. 

   

After the necropsy process finished, the whale’s body was cut into several pieces to facilitate the burial procession. The burial is located on the west side of the beach, avoiding tides with the help of an excavator.

 The participation of Profession Interest Turtle Guard, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Udayana University on the necropsy process was a huge opportunity for the members in term of experience and skills. Through this necropsy process, there are expectation on gaining more knowledge and information of whales for advancement in veterinary.

“I learnt many things during necropsy process such as the protocol of examining dead sea mammals, the do and don’t, and parts that are need to be check. I hope this such event won’t occur again and expecting fast result on the causes of whale stranding because we, human, are prone being the cause. We as citizen have responsibilities on taking care of our nature, especially the ocean.” Said Meigagina Rahmawati, one of the volunteers from Profession Interest Turtle Guard, Faculty Of Veterinary Medicene, Udayana University about the necropsy.