DAVAO CITY — A crying and gasping Brydes Baleen Whale was washed ashore in the shorelines on Barangay Lanca, Mati City in Davao Oriental, residents took turns in pouring water in the hope of saving it, but they failed, the whale died.
It was a sunny Sunday afternoon on May 1, when residents noticed a whale floating as it reached the shoreline.
Jay Pacido Oliverio, one of those who helped the whale in an interview with Newsline Philippines said they found the whale at around 2:30 in the afternoon but it died at around 6:40 same day.
“There was sound coming from the whale, as if asking for help and was crying,” Oliverio described.
Oliverio noted various bruises and scratches all over the whale’s body.
In an effort to save the whale, Oliverio said residents took turns in pouring water so it won’t dry up.
Village leaders immediately notified the police and the environment office, but all efforts failed.
Davao-based Marine Biologist Darrell Blatchley, who is still in the area to conduct an autopsy, in an interview with Newsline said, “It is the 71st whale killed during the last 11 years.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Bryde’s whale or the Bryde’s whale complex, putatively comprises three species of rorqual and maybe four. The “complex” means the number and classification remains unclear because of a lack of definitive information and research.
Bryde’s whales are vulnerable to many stressors and threats, including vessel strikes, ocean noise, and whaling outside the United States. The Gulf of Mexico subspecies is also threatened by oil and gas activities, as well as oil spills and cleanup. Scientists believe that there are fewer than 100 Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whales.
