(MY) stranded whale

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Saturday December 16, 2006 - The Star

 

Stranded whale saved

 

By MUGUNTAN VANAR

 

newsdesk

 

KOTA KINABALU: There were loud cheers and claps when divers and a

tugboat finally towed a 24m-long Bryde's whale from shallow waters off

Pulau Gaya near here last night.

 

The bruised and bleeding whale, called Luulumbo by the Kadazans, was

towed out of the shallow waters to the South China Sea under the

watchful eyes of concerned nature lovers, including divers from

Scubazoo, who worked tirelessly to rescue the whale which had been

trapped in the shallow waters since Thursday.

 

Relating how the whale was freed, Scubazoo operations director Simon

Enderby, who was among those helping to tie the mammal to the tugboat,

said: " It was an elating moment. "

 

 

MAMMOTH RESCUE OP: A tugboat crewman spraying water on the Bryde's

whale as it is towed from shallow waters off Pulau Gaya to the South

China Sea on Friday. --Photo courtesy of Scubazoo

Enderby, a senior diving photographer, said they first attempted to

tie ropes on the whale's front pectoral fins and tow it out with

tugboat Bina Satu at around 5pm.

 

" The ropes slipped off after we managed to move the whale some 100m, "

said Enderby.

 

He said a group of divers – Marcus Ruff, Dr Nicholas Pilcher, one

identified only as Moss and himself – managed to re-attach the ropes

to the whale by 7.20pm.

 

" This time we used thicker ropes and hooked them to the tugboat, " he

said and explained how they managed to pull the whale to deeper

waters. The rising tide was another factor that ensured the success of

the rescue.

 

" As we entered the deep channel between Pulau Gaya and Pulau Sapi the

whale swam away and disappeared in the darkness at about 7.45pm, " he

added.

 

" We don't know where it was headed but we hope it is doing fine, " said

Enderby, explaining that their worst fear is that the whale would die

because it was badly injured.

 

The whale had been stranded for nearly 24 hours and Enderby said that

it had lacerations from the corals and its body weight had been

crushing its lungs. Tourists and residents from Pulau Gaya had poured

water on it to keep it cool.

 

Among those involved in the rescue of the whale were Sabah Parks,

Wildlife Department, Marine Research Institute members and also whale

expert Dr Linsay Porter, together with WWF Malaysia.

 

Interviewed by The Star on board the Bina Satu tugboat, skipper Drajad

Nardi said it was their first time rescuing a whale as they mostly

hauled barges for the reclamation of land for the Kota Kinabalu

International Airport extension.

 

" We are tired but we feel good. Our hope is the whale will swim away

and survive, " said the Indonesian skipper.

 

 

Monday December 18, 2006-The Star

 

Sabah considers whale rescue guidelines

 

KOTA KINABALU: Following the futile rescue of the Bryde's whale off

Gaya island here, the Sabah government may consider some guidelines on

how to deal with a similar situation in future.

 

The state Environmental Protection Council will discuss the issue at a

meeting to be chaired by state Tourism, Culture and Environment

assistant minister Datuk Karim Bujang here Tuesday.

 

" We will have to look into this, " he said.

 

The council comprises officials of the state Wildlife Department,

Sabah Parks and Department of Environment.

 

The whale drifted into shallow waters on Thursday and was trapped

until a tugboat finally towed it out to deep sea at 7.45pm the next

day.

 

It was not sighted on Saturday but at 2.30am on Sunday, its carcass

was found at almost the same place where it was stuck.

 

Sabah Fisheries director Rayner Stuel Galid said in the wake of the

whale's death, he supports coming up with guidelines.

 

Marine mammal researcher Dr Lindsay Porter of the Worldwide Fund for

Nature (WWF), who was among the dozens of marine scientists and

volunteers involved in freeing the whale on Friday, supported the

move.

 

She said Bryde's whales were common in tropical and subtropical

waters, and there were at least three to four sightings every year.

 

She said the staff of a diving company in the city had reported

sighting such whales in waters off Sabah's west coast about a dozen

times over the past 18 months.

 

It was possible for whales to become stranded again in shallow waters

near here in the future, she said.

 

" We may not use the guidelines for 10 years but it's good just to have

them, " she added.

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Monday December 18, 2006

 

 

Freed whale found dead

 

By RUBEN SARIO

 

KOTA KINABALU: Luulumbo is dead.

 

The worst fears of rescuers, who freed the injured 24m-long Bryde's

whale, were realised when the animal was found dead yesterday at

almost the same spot where it got stuck in shallow waters off Pulau

Gaya on Friday.

 

 

MORBID FASCINATION: Pulau Gaya villagers taking a closer look at the

carcass in the waters off Kota Kinabalu yesterday. — STARpic by

NORMIMIE DIUN

Hopes were high that the whale had survived the ordeal after it was

towed to sea and not sighted on Saturday.

 

However, Pulau Gaya islanders said they noticed the whale, known to

Kadazandusuns as Luulumbo, at about 2.30am yesterday.

 

And sunrise revealed the animal lying on its side with waters around

the carcass turning dark red as blood began leaching out from the

carcass.

 

As word of the animal's death spread, dozens of islanders, locals and

tourists came in boats to look and take pictures of the carcass which

was already smelly.

 

Worldwide Fund for Nature marine mammal researcher Dr Linsay Porter,

who was among the dozens of marine scientists and volunteers involved

in freeing the whale, said that although she had been hopeful after

animal was freed, its death came as no surprise.

 

" When a marine creature like that becomes stranded it means there is

something very wrong with it. Its natural instinct is to stay away

from the shore, " said Dr Porter.

 

She said rescuers tried to quickly tow the 22-tonne whale to open sea

to give it a chance to survive although they did not know the extent

of the internal injuries it suffered apart from some bruises and cuts

on its body.

 

The whale had been trapped in the shallow waters since Thursday and

after several attempts, it was finally towed out by tugboat at about

7.45pm on Friday.

 

Dr Porter said she had recommended to the Sabah Parks officers that

the carcass be towed to the open sea and allowed to decompose

naturally.

 

She said the carcasses of marine mammals like whales tend to decompose

quickly, more so in the tropical heat.

 

Sabah Fisheries Department director Rayner Stuel Galid said the

department had hired a fishing vessel to tow the whale which was

removed at about 1pm.

 

He said the whale was towed some five nautical miles from Pulau Gaya

and was anchored with weights on the seabed about 70m below the

surface.

 

He said the skeletal remains of the whale could later be retrieved if

the Sabah Museum Department or Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Borneo

Marine Research Institute were keen on them.

 

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