JAKARTA: A protected whale species, beached on the shores of Bali, was found chopped up and had its oil extracted.
The carcass of the dwarf sperm whale, an adult which can weigh up to 250kg and stretch about 2.5m, was found on the Lembeng beach in Ketewel, Gianyar last week.
According to the online portal, kompas.com, the whale's remains were recovered by a team from the Denpasar Coastal and Marine Resources Management Center (BPSPL).
Its head, Permana Yudiarso, said the team found the species already chopped up, apparently by local residents.
He said the whale probably ended up in Gianyar after being separated from its pod.
Dwarf sperm whales are common in waters off the southern part of Bali, he said. It got its name because of its appearance that resemble the much bigger sperm whales that can weigh up to 70 tonnes and stretch up to 18m.
Yudiarso said residents had reportedly chopped up the whale, not knowing it was protected.
The whale was added to the list of protected animals in the country in a 2018 Environment and Forestry Ministry decree.
Yudiarso said BPSPL would continue to inform those living in the coastal areas of Bali about the protection of marine wildlife.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has not declared the conservation status of the species as no population estimate has been made.
While the species is not hunted on a large scale by humans, its main threat appears to be plastic and other marine waste that the mammal ingests or becomes entangled in.