Melon-headed whale rescued in General Santos City

 A stranded melon-headed whale was rescued by the Earth Island Institute Philippines’ team this morning, July 30, 2013, in a fishing community at Barangay Bula, Zone 5 in General Santos City.  The whale was seen by a local fisherman around 5:00 a.m. swimming weakly in the shallow water towards the shoreline.  

EII-Philippines monitors, Carlito Flores, Homer Tuquib and Jonfrancis Sanz initiated rescue operations. Flores, who led the team, said that the stranding was reported to the team around 6:00 a.m. and they immediately responded.

The team identified the whale as a female melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra), which is endemic in the area, featuring a grayish-black color, melon-shaped head, a sharp dorsal fin and a falcate fin, and is about 2.5 meters in length and 50 kgs. in weight.

Melon-headed whales are toothed-whales belonging to the dolphin family (Delphinidae) and are wide-spread throughout the world’s tropical waters. They prefer deep or pelagic waters and they travel in large pods with hundreds of members. There were reports that they could be also found with spotted dolphins in Saranggani Bay.

It was believed that the bad weather may have caused the stranding as there were no wounds or physical trauma found on the whale’s body. Flores stated that it has been raining for weeks that triggered flash floods and landslides in the area. The whale might have been disoriented in the muddy sea. Other factors for stranding include stress, disease, or simply following a prey.

Last July 15, a carcass of a juvenile pygmy whale was found in the coast near a tuna cannery in General Santos City.

Valiente Lastimoso, head of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), also arrived at the location and recommended the immediate release of the whale to avoid further stress and harm to the animal.

The whale was released immediately despite of the absence of boats to accompany it to deep waters.

Flores said, “We assisted the dolphin up to almost neck-deep water, together with Bong (Sanz) and Yong (a fisherman).  That time, I could feel the dolphin’s heart beating fast, as if it’s scared. After that it swiftly swam away. We watched it swim to freedom until we cannot see it anymore.”

When asked why he is helping dolphins, Flores stated, “It is our moral obligation to conserve and protect dolphins as well as whales and our marine resources.###

Contact: Angela Colmenares-Sabino, 09285243670