Whale stranded in Pahang died of plastic trash

Whale death blamed on trash
Associated Press Yahoo News 16 Oct 08;

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A beached whale has died in eastern Malaysia after swallowing a plastic bag, a rope and a bottle cap, a marine researcher said Wednesday.

The 10-meter-long (33 feet) Bryde's whale got stranded at the Kuala Nenasi estuary in eastern Pahang state Monday and died a day later despite villagers' efforts to safe it, said Mohamad Lazim Mohamad Saif, a researcher with the Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Center, who was at the scene.

Mohamad Lazim said the preliminary findings of an autopsy showed the female had swallowed a black plastic bag, a rope and a bottle cap, which clogged its intestine.

"When they come to the beach, this means they want to die. Usually it's like that," Mohamad Lazim told The Associated Press. He said the sick whale may alternatively have ended up at the beach after getting separated from its pod and losing direction.

Marine boats managed to pull the 3.9-ton (3.5-metric-ton) whale back into the sea during high tide late Monday, but that by Tuesday it was back on the beach. Villagers sprinkled it with sea water and covered it with wet blankets and a mattress, Mohamad Lazim said.

The state's veterinarian department will continue to examine the whale, which will later be buried near the estuary's jetty, he said.

Another Bryde's whale stranded and died in eastern Sabah state in Malaysia in 2006. Bryde's whales are members of the baleen whale suborder and are found in tropical waters.

WHALE DIES
A 10m-long baby whale got stranded on a beach after it wandered into the waters near Kuala Sungai Nenasi, Pahang on Monday.
The New Paper 16 Oct 08;

A 10m-long baby whale got stranded on a beach after it wandered into the waters near Kuala Sungai Nenasi, Pahang on Monday.

Fisherman Saman Mohamad, 42, raised the alarm when he spotted the 3-tonne mammal.

At one point, up to 40 people were trying to push it back into the sea.

Others poured seawater on the whale's body to try to cool its skin, which was drying out under the sun, the New Straits Times reported.

Beached whale near Pekan dies
Despite the villagers' best efforts, the whale died yesterday afternoon.
Bernama 14 Oct 08;

The baby whale, believed to be of the fin whale species, that was stranded at the Kuala Sungai Nenasi beach near here, yesterday died despite efforts made to release it back to sea.
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Pahang Fisheries Department Director Mohamad Mat Saman said the 10-metre long baby whale, estimated to weigh three tons, was reported dead at about 2pm after being stranded on the beach.

He said that personnel from his department, together with the Fire and Rescue Department and the villagers, had made an effort to rescue the fish by pushing it back to see during the high tide when the water was one-and-a-half metre deep last night.

However, he said the fish was again reported beached this morning.

"As the whale was becoming increasingly weaker, we wrapped up the fish using wet cloth but the rescue effort was stopped when the fish died this afternoon," he said when contacted, here today.

The baby whale was believed to have been separated from its mother before entering the Pekan waters and was stranded on the beach about 10 kilometres from the Kuala Sungai Nenasi fish landing zone due to the low tide between 7am and 9am yesterday.

Mohamad said the whale would be buried near the beach after examination by officials from the Veterinary department.

Villagers find baby whale along beach
The Star 16 Oct 08;

PEKAN: Kampung Kuala Nenasi residents were surprised to find a baby whale alive measuring more than 10 metres in length and weighing about five metric tonne lying on a beach in the village here on Monday.

Believed to be separated from its parent, the mammal was found during low tide at 7am by fisherman Ab Rahim Sulong, 36.

Villagers attempted to keep the whale alive by splashing water on it.

Ab Rahim said about 40 villagers tried to push the whale into deeper waters but failed. Shortly before midnight, villagers with the help of a few marine boats pushed the whale to the sea and freed it during high tide.

However, on Tuesday morning the whale was found beached about 500m from the spot where it was found on Monday.

Despite attempts to cool and push it back into the sea, the whale died.

Live whale found beached in Pekan
The Star 13 Oct 08;

PEKAN: A three-tonne whale was found beached at the mouth of Sungai Nenasi on the South China Sea near Kampung Kuala Nenasi here.

A fisherman, Abd Rahim Sulong, 36, said he noticed the 10m-long whale when water shot out of its blowhole while he was on his way to fish in the sea at 7am on Monday.

“I saw water blow out to a height of two metres and went closer; I saw that it could not return to sea as the water level was only knee-deep.

“We have never had a live whale getting beached here,” Abd Rahim said when met here.

The incident was reported to the Malaysian Fisheries Development Board and the Fisheries Department which are trying to help it back to sea.

The whale is believed to have beached during low tide in the uninhabited area which is about 10km from the Kuala Nenasi fish landing zone.

Faizal Ibrahim, 29, said several failed efforts were made to help it back to sea.

“About 40 adults tried to push it back but it would not budge at all. All we could was to pour water over it to keep it cool and alive,” he said. -- Bernama