The authorities in Vanuatu's Shefa Province are warning all villagers to report any sighted whale beachings, after a whale was found dead in a lagoon.
The six-metre pilot whale was found with its jaw and head removed, most probably for the value of its teeth.
A marine specialist says the whale's internal organs were all in order and still fresh, which indicates it was killed most likely after it got stranded in the lagoon.
