On the morning of Wednesday (9th), a humpback whale calf was found dead between lifeguard stations 5 and 6 on Barra da Tijuca Beach, in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The Fire Department was called around 6:25 AM, but when they arrived, they confirmed the animal was already lifeless.
Teams from the Federal Government’s Beach Monitoring Project were summoned to collect samples for analysis before the Municipal Urban Cleaning Company (Comlurb) began the removal of the animal. Comlurb deployed ten workers, along with a front loader, three beach tractors, and a bulldozer to help transport the carcass to the Waste Treatment Center (CTR-Rio) in Seropédica.
This was not an isolated incident. Ten days ago, another whale was found dead in Unamar, in the Região dos Lagos. In August, a humpback whale calf was also found on Recreio dos Bandeirantes Beach. According to José Lailson Brito Junior, head of the Aquatic Mammals and Bioindicators Laboratory at UERJ, this is the third whale stranding recorded in the Rio Metropolitan Region in 2024.
About The Author
More
New Species of Giant Crustacean Named After Darth Vader
Incredible Discovery in Antarctica: 1.2-Million-Year-Old Air Bubbles May Uncover Ice Age Mysteries
Satellite Images Reveal the Impact of Wildfires in Los Angeles