Remember the sperm whale that was dragged five miles out into the deep after it washed up in the Faganeanea/Avau area last Wednesday?

Pictured here is the head of that same whale that made its way to the back reef of Coconut Point in Nuuuli three days later. That same day, parts of the backbone, fins, and tail washed up in Laulii Tuai and were later buried at the Futiga Landfill.

When it was discovered, the entire whale was not fully intact, meaning it had been attacked by other sea creatures that are assumed to have feasted on it as well.

Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR) director Dr. Ruth Matagi-Tofiga said her employees were able to immediately dispose of the body parts found in Laulii but the head that was found in the Tafuna/Nuuuli area had to be hauled to the DMWR boat ramp in Fagaalu on Monday, where it was later transported to the Futiga Landfill for burial.

Matagi-Tofiga said the delay was because the Landfill was closed on Sunday and the earliest they could respond to the Tafuna/Nuuuli call was Monday.

Samples from the whale were taken and have been sent to an off-island lab for testing to determine how the whale died.

Matagi-Tofiga explained that they didn’t want to drag the carcass out to sea—again—otherwise, the strong current would have just washed it back to shore. “The most ideal thing to do was to drag the carcass inland and bury it,” she said.