Rescued once, stranded again: False killer whale dies at Sarawak beach

KUCHING, Oct 4 — A false killer whale lost its life after being stranded twice along the Pueh coastline in Sematan, Sarawak. The adult female marine mammal was first rescued and released back into the ocean with help from the Lundu/Sematan District Civil Defence Force, Royal Malaysia Police, and locals. However, at around 9am, the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) learned the animal had become stranded again near the Pueh Youth Camp Beach area.

The weak marine mammal was found and died at approximately 2pm. Identified as a false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) measuring 3.85 meters in length and 1.77 meters in girth, the SFC carried out its standard protocol for stranded marine animals and performed a necropsy on the carcass. Shark bite marks and a stomach containing little material mixed with sand indicated the animal might not have been able to find enough food before being stranded.

The SFC believes the death was caused by complications from the stranding, such as circulatory failure due to heat stress or heat stroke. The operation involved nine SFC personnel and six residents of Kampung Pueh. Biometric specimens were collected for the SFC's DNA database. All marine mammals are classified as Totally Protected Animals under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998, and the public is urged not to handle stranded, injured, or dead wildlife.

A false killer whale was previously recorded as stranded on a beach in Miri in 2013. The SFC expressed gratitude to the agencies, local community, and public who assisted during the incident.