The stranding of two false killer whales [Pseudorca crassidens (Owen)] at Pozhikara, north of Cape Comorin

Abstract

On 27 November 1960 the fishermen at Pozhikara, a fishing village between Cape Comorin and Colachel on the west coast were surprised to find two small whales in shallow water within a few metres from the shore. Some of the enterprising young men entered the water and tried to hold on to the tail of one of them, which excitement caused both animals to run ashore and get stranded. They were hauled to a small pool at the mouth of a narrow backwater canal near the shore. The event of the capture of such strange creatures which no one could recollect seeing along that coastal stretch atleast during the past three decades, received wide publicity in the local newspapers resulting in several hundreds of people visiting Pozhikara to view the animals.