Malaysia, Sabah: Rescuers fail to save beached whale

The Star 3 Aug 12;

KOTA KINABALU: A stranded 15.8m long whale that beached off Sabah's district of Kuala Penyu has died despite efforts to save it.

Earlier, firemen had sprayed water on the stranded whale as fisheries and wildlife officers tried to work out a solution to help the animal back into the sea after it became stranded early yesterday.

Kuala Penyu Fisheries Department officer Julin Bagang said the whale was alive then but weak.

“It had been hurt slightly but the injuries did not appear to be serious,” he said, adding that a fisherman had reported seeing the animal along the shores of Kampung Pitutan in Kuala Penyu, about 140km from here.

Bagang said the department had sought the expertise of WWF Malaysia in rescue efforts.

“Our main problem was logistics. We were unable to help the whale except to try to keep it calm and spray water on it. We had hoped for high tide to come in to guide the whale back into deeper waters with the help of floats.

This is the fourth reported stranding of whales in the west coast of Sabah.

Beached whale dies
Roy Goh and Avila Geraldine New Straits Times 3 Aug 12;

VALIENT EFFORTS: Fisheries, visitors try to keep it wet to guide it back to sea again

KOTA KINABALU: RESCUERS failed in their desperate efforts to revive a 17-metre-long whale which was stranded on the Kuala Sungai Sitompok beach in Kuala Penyu, located 135km from here, yesterday.

Despite repeated attempts to pull it back into the deep sea, the mammal resisted by heading towards the shore.

It was earlier spotted in shallow waters at 9am by Pulau Tiga park rangers who immediately alerted the Sabah Fisheries Department.

Kuala Penyu fisheries officer Julin Bagang said a team of 10 officers mounted many attempts to steer the whale to the open sea with the help of fishermen but without success.

"We used two boats to guide it out to the sea but the whale submerged and resurfaced before swimming to the beach.

"We believe it is a Baleen whale but don't know why or what caused it to come here."

Baleen whales can be found in all oceans, from polar seas to temperate and tropical zones, travelling thousands of kilometres. Some baleen whales stay near shore.

With low tide around 5pm, the whale, which appeared to have sustained cuts on its tail, was beached about 20 metres from the waterline. Attempt to use ropes to guide it back to the sea failed.

The fisheries officers had hoped to keep it alive until high tide at midnight to push it back into the water.

The Fire and Rescue Department team pumped seawater over the whale to keep it submerged in the water.

"It's the best we could do to keep it alive," said Julin.

The mammal died at 8pm and the authorities are now thinking how to dispose of the 10-tonne carcass.

News of the beached whale brought hundreds of people to the beach. The fisheries officers roped them in to help with the process of pouring seawater over the whale.

Richard Enggoh, 58, and Liew Moi, 52, who were among the volunteers, went back and forth fetching water from the sea with the use of empty paint cans.

"We felt sorry for it as it looked like it is injured. We don't know what will happen next but we will try to help as long as we can."

Dept to preserve skeleton of fin whale
Stephanie Lee The Star 4 Aug 12;

KOTA KINABALU: The skeleton of a whale that beached on the coastline of Kuala Penyu will likely be preserved as an exhibit for tourists.

Sabah Fisheries Department director Rayner Stuel Galid said villagers had been stopped from trying to scavenge the carcass of the 15.8m mammal, which died on Thursday night.

He said the mammal, which was believed to be a fin whale, would be buried as this would allow the carcass to naturally decompose.

After that, a final decision would be made on what would be done with its skeleton, he added.

The department would also carry out DNA tests on the whale to identify the exact species.

The whale was spotted on Thursday morning by fishermen, who then immediately informed the Fisheries Department.

Firemen, Fisheries and Wildlife officials fought a losing battle to save the whale.

Following its death, some villagers severed the fin, prompting fisheries officials to lodge a police report to protect the carcass.

Galid said the department was also looking at what to do with the bones of a 12m Baleen whale that died in Pulau Mengalum about 40 nautical miles from the city five months ago.

In 2006, a 20m Brydes whale, which was found stranded at Gaya Island off the city, had its skeleton preserved in the state museum.

Experts said whales would normally beach themselves when they wanted to die or when they were injured.

Whale carcass to be buried
Roy Goh New Straits Times 4 Aug 12;

EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE: Authorities may allow experts to examine or collect samples

KOTA KINABALU: THE authorities yesterday moved to bury the 1m-long whale that died in Kuala Penyu.

The Fisheries Department made the decision to prevent pollution and at the same time, allow experts, to examine its remains.

Two days ago, government agencies and the public launched a desperate attempt to keep the stranded mammal alive at the Kuala Sungai Sitompok beach.

Identified as a fin whale of the baleen species, it died about 8pm, nearly 12 hours after it was first spotted in shallow water nearby.

District fisheries officer Julin Bagang said a contractor was appointed to bury the whale estimated to weigh about 10 tonnes.

"We picked a sandy spot not far from the beach," he said, adding this was necessary as the nearest village, Binturu, is about a kilometre away.

Julin said they had not received any official request to salvage or collect samples from the carcass, but assured it would be considered. He said the effort was an eye-opening experience for the department and other agencies involved, given their limited knowledge of whales. "We are not even sure if it is a male or female but we believe it is a fin whale of the baleen species based on its basic features.

"We tried our best to save it but when darkness fell, I could sense it was dying as the breathing from the blowhole became faster and irregular."

Julin said the whale's final breath was "long, deep and sad" as even the firefighters, wildlife officials and individuals who came to help, fell silent.

When word began spreading about the whale being stranded, many made their way there for a glimpse from afar while a few used boats to get close.

Earlier, the Fisheries Department tried guiding it to deeper water but the whale resurfaced and swam towards shore where the water was shallow.

In a desperate bid to pull it away, they tried towing it out to sea but failed. By around noon, it was stranded, half submerged on the shore.

As the low tide set in from 2pm, the public could walk straight to the whale, which had a black body and white belly, as it laid there until it died.