Stray whale seen near Osaka Pref. port since January dies

Experts and others examine a whale floating on the sea in Osaka Bay on the morning of Feb. 19, 2024. (Mainichi/Tadashi Kako)

OSAKA — A whale that had strayed into the Port of Sakai-Semboku in Osaka Bay was confirmed dead by experts who examined the mammal, the Osaka Prefectural Government revealed on Feb. 19.

While the whale had been confirmed alive on Feb. 16, the Japan Coast Guard notified the prefectural government on Feb. 18 that the animal was “inactive.” The government had already been looking into whether to bury the carcass underground or dispose of it in the ocean in the event the whale died in the harbor. On Feb. 19, it decided to bury the carcass underground at a facility in the prefectural city of Sakai, then dig it up one or two years later and donate the bones to the Osaka Museum of Natural History. According to the prefectural government, this option is cheaper than disposing of the carcass in the ocean.

From Jan. 12, the whale had been spotted in different waters including those off Kobe’s Higashinada Ward in neighboring Hyogo Prefecture and the city of Kishiwada, Osaka Prefecture. It had been lingering within the Port of Sakai-Semboku since around Jan. 23. The animal was believed to be a male sperm whale, estimated at 12 meters in length and 20 metric tons in weight.

As the whale was initially seen spouting water, the prefectural government and other authorities had been observing its movements. The whale is thought to have died from debilitation due to the lack of food and shallow water in the area.

In a similar incident, a sperm whale which strayed near the mouth of the Yodo River in Osaka Bay died in January 2023. Its carcass was transported by a barge to waters off the Kii Peninsula and buried there. The disposal work cost a total of 80.19 million yen (approx. $530,000).

(Japanese original by Takumi Fujikawa, Osaka City News Department)