A blue whale about 30 feet long has been found dead near Gwadar East Bay after being seen floating in local waters for about two days. On Wednesday, sea waves brought the animal close to the East Bay shore, where its body was recovered.
Marine conservation groups have begun reviewing the scene. WWF Pakistan (the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Pakistan office) said the death of such a large whale is worrying for the country’s marine biodiversity.
How the whale reached the shore
Residents and observers had spotted the blue whale drifting at different points off Gwadar for the previous two days. It did not remain far out at sea: by Wednesday the tide and waves had pushed it toward Gwadar East Bay, where it was found dead.
Early assessments point to a navigation problem rather than a confirmed illness or injury. Muhammad Moazzam Khan, a technical adviser with WWF Pakistan, said the animal may have moved into shallow water, lost its bearings, and ended up near the coast. He stressed that this is only an initial possibility.
What WWF Pakistan says next
The exact cause of death is not yet known. WWF Pakistan has started further investigation and keeps records of whale strandings along Pakistan’s coastline. Khan also noted that blue whales are rare and that the organisation runs public awareness work on protecting marine life.
He said strandings of blue whales on Pakistan’s coast have happened before. Conservation workers treat each case as a signal to watch coastal ecosystems more closely, especially where large whales appear close to shore.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- April 2019: A whale about 34 feet long was found dead on the Gwadar coast.
- May 2023: A dead whale about 42 feet long was reported at Bandari, near Jiwani.
- November 2023: A Bryde’s whale about 27 feet long was found dead near Pasni.
- June 2024: A whale about 35 feet long was seen floating dead near Kontani in the Gwadar area.
- Recent days: A blue whale about 30 feet long was seen floating off Gwadar for two days, then found dead near East Bay on Wednesday.
Why blue whales matter
Experts describe the blue whale as the largest animal on Earth. It is a mammal, not a fish, so it must surface to breathe. It feeds on tiny sea creatures known as krill and can live roughly 80 to 90 years, or longer.
Globally, blue whales are classed as a threatened species. Past commercial hunting cut their numbers sharply; today they also face risks from sea pollution, fishing nets, and collisions with ships. The Gwadar find again underlines how fragile rare marine life remains along Pakistan’s coast.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Gwadar East Bay ke paas ek bari blue whale murda milii hai, lambai lagbhag 30 foot batayi ja rahi hai. Do din se yeh samandar mein tairti dikhai de rahi thi, phir lehron ne ise sahil ke qareeb la dia. WWF Pakistan keh raha hai ke woh gehre pani se nikal kar gehre kam pani mein aa sakti thi aur rasta bhool gayi ho. Ab maut ki asl wajah ka pata lagane ke liye tehqiqat jari hain.
