Whale Stories

Near the surf, I discovered part of a whale’s carcass, with remnants of tissue still attached, giving off an unpleasant rancid odor. The Indonesian guys told me that just three days ago a sperm whale had been caught and these remains belonged to it. Then they pointed to a plastic sheet in the water, under which, according to their descriptions, was its head. I realized that not only hunting the animal must have involved incredible effort. It was probably an impossible task for the fishermen to pull the heavy carcass to shore, which is why they had to dismember it while still in the water.

Lembata (Indonesia), July 2013