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Safety & help

Finding a Stranded Marine Animal

Found a stranded whale or dolphin? Do not drag or push it back to sea. Keep your distance, note the location and call KKP on 141.

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Compiled from the listed sources with AI assistance. How we prepare and review content

About this guideCompiled from the official sources listed and approved for publication by the editor (Kaiser Khan, 1 October 2026). This is not a review by a veterinarian or wildlife expert; in an emergency, follow the instructions of responders or health workers.
Put safety first. For urgent situations, contact appropriate medical, veterinary, or authorised responders. This page does not receive incident reports or dispatch help.

Key numbers and contacts

Numbers and addresses were checked on official sources when the guide was updated. PanduanHewan does not receive reports or dispatch help. BKSDA office list

Quick answer

Key points

  • Whales and dolphins that strand alive are usually seriously ill or injured and need a trained team.
  • They are powerful and can injure people, and they can carry diseases that spread to people and pets.
  • KKP asks the public to report promptly to its regional technical units or other authorities. KKP call centre: 141.
  • All whale species are protected in Indonesia. Do not take meat, oil or body parts from a carcass.
In this guide (8)

Start with these steps

  1. Keep your distance and keep crowds, children and dogs back.
  2. Do not touch, drag, push to sea or climb on the animal.
  3. Note the beach name or coordinates, the time, how many animals, their rough length and whether they are alive.
  4. Take zoomed photos or video from a safe distance.
  5. Report to the KKP call centre on 141, the local KKP office or fisheries agency, or the police on 110.
  6. Follow the responders' instructions on site.

What should I do if I find a stranded whale or dolphin?

Keep your distance and report it promptly. NOAA Fisheries, the US fisheries agency, says live-stranded whales and dolphins need specialised emergency care and should only be returned to the water by trained responders. They usually come ashore only when severely ill or injured.

NOAA asks people not to approach, touch or handle stranded animals without training and protective equipment. These powerful animals can still injure people and can carry diseases that spread to people and pets. Keeping onlookers and dogs away also reduces the animal's stress.

Evidence: NOAA Fisheries — Do not move stranded whales, dolphins, or porpoises ↗

Why shouldn't I push a stranded whale back to sea?

NOAA says trained teams need to assess the animal before deciding what is best, because returning a sick animal to the sea is not always in its interest. Health data from stranded animals is also lost when untrained people push them back. There is currently no safe way to refloat most large whale species without causing further harm.

In July 2026 a joint team and fishers at Perancak Beach, Jembrana, tried to guide a humpback whale into deeper water under technical direction from KKP's Denpasar marine management office, but the shallow beach and a fast-falling tide defeated the effort. Decisions like this are best left to the responders.

Evidence: NOAA Fisheries — Do not move stranded whales, dolphins, or porpoises ↗ · KKP — Humpback whale stranded at Perancak, Bali (press release, July 2026) ↗

Who do I report a stranded marine animal to in Indonesia?

KKP, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, asks people who find a stranded marine mammal to report it promptly to a KKP regional technical unit (UPT) or other authorities, so it is handled quickly and correctly. The KKP call centre is 141. You can also report through the local fisheries agency or the police (110). At Perancak, KKP worked with the marine police, the navy, BKSDA Bali and the village government.

KKP has had stranding-response guidelines since 2012 and a response network with partners. In West Kalimantan, a resident's report through the local KKP unit's social media led straight to a team being sent.

Since 2026, KKP’s field offices for marine wildlife conservation are called Balai or Loka Pengelolaan Kelautan (marine management offices). Their regional numbers are in the contact list on this page, matched to the work areas stated on each office’s official page. The official pages we checked do not say which office serves Sumatra, so in Sumatra call the KKP call centre on 141.

Evidence: KKP — Humpback whale stranded at Perancak, Bali (press release, July 2026) ↗ · KKP Ditjen PRL — Priority steps for stranded marine megafauna ↗ · KKP Ditjen PRL — Dwarf sperm whale rescued in West Kalimantan ↗ · Polri — Call Center 110 ↗ · KKP — Balai Pengelolaan Kelautan Pontianak ↗ · KKP — Balai Pengelolaan Kelautan Denpasar ↗ · KKP — Balai Pengelolaan Kelautan Kupang ↗ · KKP — Loka Pengelolaan Kelautan Pekanbaru ↗

Can I take meat or oil from a dead whale?

No. KKP says all whale species are protected in Indonesia and has specifically urged people not to use oil from whales that died after stranding. Article 21(2) of Law 5/1990 as amended by Law 32/2024 bans storing, owning, transporting or trading dead protected animals and their parts.

Leave the carcass to the responders. In a case in Tabanan, Bali, the whale was buried with help from the local government and residents after samples were taken for laboratory testing.

Evidence: KKP Ditjen PRL — KKP urges public not to use oil from dead whales ↗ · KKP — Humpback whale stranded at Perancak, Bali (press release, July 2026) ↗ · JDIH BPK — UU No. 32 Tahun 2024 (amending UU 5/1990) ↗

Sources & references

  1. NOAA Fisheries — Do not move stranded whales, dolphins, or porpoises ↗
  2. KKP — Humpback whale stranded at Perancak, Bali (press release, July 2026) ↗
  3. KKP Ditjen PRL — Priority steps for stranded marine megafauna ↗
  4. KKP Ditjen PRL — Dwarf sperm whale rescued in West Kalimantan ↗
  5. KKP Ditjen PRL — KKP urges public not to use oil from dead whales ↗
  6. JDIH BPK — UU No. 32 Tahun 2024 (amending UU 5/1990) ↗
  7. Polri — Call Center 110 ↗
  8. KKP — Balai Pengelolaan Kelautan Pontianak ↗
  9. KKP — Balai Pengelolaan Kelautan Denpasar ↗
  10. KKP — Balai Pengelolaan Kelautan Kupang ↗
  11. KKP — Loka Pengelolaan Kelautan Pekanbaru ↗

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PanduanHewan. Finding a Stranded Marine Animal. Last substantive update: 1 October 2026. https://panduanhewan.org/en/emergency/stranded-marine-animal/

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