Museum to preserve blue whale carcass

PMNH zoologists team up to preserve 36-foot-long whale specimen

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Museum for Natural History (PMNH) said on Monday that it would preserve the specimen of the recently discovered 36-foot-long blue whale whose lifeless body drifted on the coast of Balochistan’s Jiwani last Friday.

The blue whale is one of three whale species found in Pakistan's waters, alongside Bryde's whale and Arabian humpback whale.

The director general of the Gwadar Development Authority (GDA), Mujeeb Ur Rehman Qambrani, said that a team of PMNH zoologists had been formed on their request for the preservation of mammal for awareness and research.

The team comprising Muhammad Asif Khan, Dr Muhammad Abbas, Dr Shabbir Ali Aamir and Dr Rifaqat Masroor had arrived on the site to inspect the specimen and preserve its remains and skeleton, Qambrani added.

The PMNH officials opined that the specimen would be a valuable addition to the existing collection.

The PMNH operates under the Pakistan Science Foundation. It has four divisions: botanical sciences, earth sciences, zoological sciences and public services.

The first three divisions are engaged in the collection, preservation, identification, and research activities related to plants, animals, fossils, rocks, and minerals resources. The fourth division is responsible for public education.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2023.