Report of Cetacean Stranding

If you come across a stranded cetacean, please call 1823 and provide the following information:

1. Name and telephone number;
2. Date and time of discovery;
3. Location (as specific as possible);
4. Status of the stranded animal (i.e. alive, freshly dead, slightly decomposed, rotten, mummified);
5. Type and size of the stranded animal.

Upon receiving a report of stranding, AFCD will deploy a response team to retrieve the carcasses and collect relevant data and information.

 

Depending on the level of decomposition, samples of skin, blubber, muscle, internal organs, skull and teeth will be collected to study the cause of death as well as life history and ecological impacts (for example: feeding habitat, growth and reproduction, ecotoxicology and stock population structure).

 

 

Statistics on cetacean strandings in Hong Kong over the past decade

Statistics on Non-resident cetacean species strandings in Hong Kong

Stranding Incident of Bryde’s Whale in July 2023

Stranding Incident of Longman's Beaked Whale in November 2024