Maritime police rescues stranded whale in Puerto Princesa

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1023857
• Monday, February 5, 2018

By Celeste Anna Formoso (PNA)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- Maritime and environment authorities here rescued a suspected pilot whale that nearly got beached on the Honda Bay shoreline in Barangay Sta. Lourdes on Thursday (February 1).

The whale, which measured around 12-feet long, was reported seen on the shallow waters of the bay at around 6:00 a.m. by the Bantay Dagat, said PO2 Primrose Flores, information officer of the 2nd Special Operations Unit-Maritime Group (SOU-MG) on Thursday night.

“It was reported to us very early by personnel of Bantay Dagat. Then per instruction of our commander, Police Superintendent Greg Togonon, we went to the area where it was. In fact, the place is just very near our wharf,” she said.

She described that the whale had difficulty returning to the deeper part of the water when their personnel approached it.

“It was a low tide that’s why the whale had difficulty returning to the deeper part of the water,” she further said, adding it had to be slowly towed to nearby Pandan Island, where the water is deeper.

“If we don’t take it away from near our wharf, it has the possibility of being trapped and really beached on the shoreline,” she said.

With the help of environment rescuers of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO) and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS), the whale was released at 11:00 a.m. same day.

Flores said Myla Adriano of the City ENRO thought the whale was a pilot whale. But clarifications had to be made to know if it’s short-finned or long-finned. “But if we look at it, it’s likely a short-finned one. Long-finned whales are only commonly seen in cold places,” she said.