Whale shark stranded in Jembrana, Bali, dies and is buried

What happened to the whale shark at Pengeragoan beach?

Residents of Banjar Pengeragoan Dauh Tukad, Pengeragoan village, spotted a large marine animal in shallow water at about 08.30 WITA on Saturday 12 September 2026. The Pekutatan police chief, Commissioner Benyamin Nikijuluw, described a large, elongated, dark body with white spots and a dorsal fin, features that pointed to a whale shark (Rhincodon typus).

According to the police chief, the shark was alive, half submerged but very weak. Residents and local officials tried to push it out to sea, but the tide was going out and it died that morning. Police then secured the beach and asked people not to act on their own: "Do not pull, hit, ride, move or take any part of its body," he said.

Sources: Hiu Paus Terdampar di Pantai Pengeragoan Bali ↗ · Tragis, Hiu Paus Jantan 8 Meter Mati Terdampar di Pesisir Jembrana ↗

How was the whale shark examined and buried?

A joint team examined the carcass: the Gondol marine aquaculture research centre (BBRBLPP); the coastal unit of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), called BPSPL in press reports and the Denpasar Marine Management Office in KKP's 2026 releases; a vet from a conservation organisation; and the armed forces and police.

The whale shark was a male, about 8 metres long, with a body width of 3.5 metres, a girth of 4.8 metres and a mouth 2.15 metres wide. Responders found no sign of hunting or of wounds caused by people; their provisional view was that the juvenile stranded because of bad weather, strong currents or illness.

A necropsy was carried out to collect biological data and look for factors linked to its death. The carcass was then buried nearby with an excavator, a job only finished at about 17.30 WITA. The Pekutatan district head, Wayan Yudana, said it was buried for sanitation and residents' comfort. No laboratory results had been announced in those reports.

Sources: Hiu paus yang terdampar di Jembrana mati dan dikubur di pantai ↗ · Tragis, Hiu Paus Jantan 8 Meter Mati Terdampar di Pesisir Jembrana ↗ · Bangkai Hiu Paus Terdampar di Pantai Pengeragoan Dikubur ↗ · Hiu Paus 8 Meter Terdampar Mati di Pantai Bali, Dievakuasi dan Dikubur ↗ · KKP dan Tim Gabungan Tangani Paus Sperma Terdampar di Pesisir Jembrana ↗

Why do whale sharks strand?

A study in Scientific Reports (October 2025) compiled 115 whale shark strandings in Indonesia between 2011 and 2023, in 23 of the country's 38 provinces. About 70% of the animals were large juveniles of 4–7 metres. The south coast of Java was the main hotspot, and most strandings happened in the September–November transition season.

The researchers linked many strandings to upwelling, when cold, nutrient-rich deep water rises, marked by high chlorophyll, cooler surface water and waves above 1.5 metres. Whale sharks are thought to move inshore to feed when the water is productive. Bycatch, ship strikes and pollution were named as human factors needing more study, because necropsies are still rare.

The study also identified Yeh Kuning beach in Jembrana, in the same Pekutatan district as Pengeragoan, as a new hotspot with the most significant rise in strandings in Bali. A KKP review recorded an average of 20 whale sharks stranded over 2021–2025.

Sources: Spatio-temporal patterns, trends, and oceanographic drivers of whale shark strandings in Indonesia (Scientific Reports) ↗ · Hiu Paus Terdampar di Jembrana, Dikubur KKP ↗ · KKP Beri Perlindungan Ekstra Jaga Populasi Hiu Paus ↗

Where else have whale sharks stranded in 2026?

Cilacap in Central Java recorded five whale shark strandings, on 17 and 23 May, 22 June, 30 June and 14 July 2026, and all the carcasses were buried. The 8.36-metre male that stranded at Banjarsari beach, Nusawungu district, on 23 May had five cuts thought to be from a ship's propeller, plastic in its stomach and a gut full of undigested anchovies; early findings pointed to acute poisoning.

It was not Jembrana's first large stranding this year: KKP's Denpasar office handled a sperm whale of about 17 metres in Nusasari village, reported on 5 May, and a 7.7-metre humpback whale at Perancak beach on 14 July.

Sources: Hiu Tutul Terdampar di Pantai Bleberan, Sudah Lima Kasus dalam Tiga Bulan di Cilacap ↗ · Tim gabungan selidiki penyebab hiu paus terdampar di pantai Cilacap ↗ · Hiu Paus Kembali Terdampar di Pesisir Cilacap, Mengapa? ↗ · KKP dan Tim Gabungan Tangani Paus Sperma Terdampar di Pesisir Jembrana ↗ · KKP Bersama Tim Gabungan Tangani Paus Bungkuk Terdampar di Pantai Perancak Bali ↗

Is the whale shark protected in Indonesia?

Yes. Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministerial Decree No. 18/KEPMEN-KP/2013, issued on 20 May 2013, gives the whale shark full protection throughout its life cycle and for all body parts, with an exception for research and development. In 2023 KKP stated that any extractive use of whale sharks, including their parts, is illegal, citing Law No. 5 of 1990 (since amended by Law No. 32 of 2024), Government Regulation No. 7 of 1999 and the decree.

Globally, the whale shark is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, in an assessment dated 31 March 2025, and since 5 March 2026 has been on CITES Appendix I (previously Appendix II), following CoP20. It is a fish, not a mammal: the world's largest fish, a plankton filter-feeder that is harmless to people. KKP is preparing a 2026–2029 National Action Plan for whale sharks that stresses tourism standards and stranding response.

Sources: Keputusan Menteri Kelautan dan Perikanan Nomor 18/KEPMEN-KP/2013 tentang Penetapan Status Perlindungan Penuh Ikan Hiu Paus (Rhincodon typus) ↗ · Hiu Paus Terdampar di Jembrana, Dikubur KKP ↗ · UU No. 32 Tahun 2024 tentang Perubahan atas UU Nomor 5 Tahun 1990 ↗ · Rhincodon typus, Whale shark (species summary) ↗ · KKP Beri Perlindungan Ekstra Jaga Populasi Hiu Paus ↗ · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement — Public Bulletin PB 26-001: CITES CoP20 amendments to Appendices I and II ↗

What should you do if you find a stranded whale shark?

Keep your distance, keep crowds back and report it straight away. KKP asks people to report stranded marine animals promptly to its regional technical units or other authorities; the KKP call centre is 141. At Pengeragoan, residents' reports went to village officials and the police, who brought in the relevant agencies.

Decisions about guiding an animal back to sea are best left to responders. In July 2026 an attempt to guide a humpback whale into deeper water at Perancak failed because the beach was shallow and the tide fell fast. Data for 2011–2023 show 71% of live-stranded whale sharks with a known outcome were released successfully, so early reports matter. If the animal is dead, the Cilacap fisheries office asks people not to take or cut its meat.

Sources: KKP Bersama Tim Gabungan Tangani Paus Bungkuk Terdampar di Pantai Perancak Bali ↗ · Hiu Paus 8 Meter Terdampar Mati di Pantai Bali, Dievakuasi dan Dikubur ↗ · Hiu Paus Terdampar di Pantai Pengeragoan Bali ↗ · Spatio-temporal patterns, trends, and oceanographic drivers of whale shark strandings in Indonesia (Scientific Reports) ↗ · Hiu Tutul Terdampar di Pantai Bleberan, Sudah Lima Kasus dalam Tiga Bulan di Cilacap ↗

What happens next

• Necropsy and laboratory results have not yet been announced.
• KKP is preparing its 2026–2029 National Action Plan for whale sharks, focused on tourism standards and stranding response.
• Strandings peak in September–November, so more cases are possible on the south coasts of Java and Bali in the coming weeks.

Common questions

Animals in this story

Marine

Indonesian seas; regular aggregation sites include Cenderawasih Bay, Kaimana, Saleh Bay (Sumbawa), Gorontalo, Probolinggo and the Derawan Islands

Whale shark

Rhincodon typus

The largest living fish, with distinctive spots and filter-feeding behaviour. Its protection involves ocean movements, boats, fisheries, and tourism.

Sources and references

1. Hiu Paus Terdampar di Pantai Pengeragoan Bali ↗ — CNN Indonesia, 2026-09-12
2. Hiu paus yang terdampar di Jembrana mati dan dikubur di pantai ↗ — ANTARA News, 2026-09-13
3. Keputusan Menteri Kelautan dan Perikanan Nomor 18/KEPMEN-KP/2013 tentang Penetapan Status Perlindungan Penuh Ikan Hiu Paus (Rhincodon typus) ↗ — JDIH Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan, 2013-05-20
4. Rhincodon typus, Whale shark (species summary) ↗ — FishBase, 2026-10-01
5. Spatio-temporal patterns, trends, and oceanographic drivers of whale shark strandings in Indonesia (Scientific Reports) ↗ — Scientific Reports (via PubMed Central), 2025-10-17
6. Tragis, Hiu Paus Jantan 8 Meter Mati Terdampar di Pesisir Jembrana ↗ — RRI Denpasar, 2026-09-12
7. Bangkai Hiu Paus Terdampar di Pantai Pengeragoan Dikubur ↗ — Balinetizen, 2026-09-12
8. Hiu Paus 8 Meter Terdampar Mati di Pantai Bali, Dievakuasi dan Dikubur ↗ — detikSumut, 2026-09-13
9. KKP dan Tim Gabungan Tangani Paus Sperma Terdampar di Pesisir Jembrana ↗ — Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan (Ditjen Pengelolaan Kelautan), 2026-05-08
10. Hiu Paus Terdampar di Jembrana, Dikubur KKP ↗ — iNews Mojokerto, 2023-10-02
11. KKP Beri Perlindungan Ekstra Jaga Populasi Hiu Paus ↗ — Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan (Ditjen Pengelolaan Kelautan), 2025-09-19
12. Hiu Tutul Terdampar di Pantai Bleberan, Sudah Lima Kasus dalam Tiga Bulan di Cilacap ↗ — RRI Purwokerto, 2026-07-15
13. Tim gabungan selidiki penyebab hiu paus terdampar di pantai Cilacap ↗ — ANTARA News Jawa Tengah, 2026-06-01
14. Hiu Paus Kembali Terdampar di Pesisir Cilacap, Mengapa? ↗ — Mongabay Indonesia, 2026-06-09
15. KKP Bersama Tim Gabungan Tangani Paus Bungkuk Terdampar di Pantai Perancak Bali ↗ — Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan, 2026-07-17
16. UU No. 32 Tahun 2024 tentang Perubahan atas UU Nomor 5 Tahun 1990 ↗ — JDIH BPK RI, 2024-08-07
17. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement — Public Bulletin PB 26-001: CITES CoP20 amendments to Appendices I and II ↗ — U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2026-01-13

This story was written by the PanduanHewan editorial team from the reports and official sources listed; we do not copy other outlets. Facts may change as the story develops; the update date is shown at the top. Send a correction

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