ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Coast Guard personnel yesterday found the carcass of a 52-foot great sperm whale near an island off this city.
Lt. Cmdr. Elizer Dalnay, Coast Guard station chief here, said his men were en route to Basilan from this city aboard a patrol boat of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources when they found the carcass about 1.5 nautical miles south of Sacol Island yesterday morning.
Dr. Mario Ariola, city veterinarian, said the whale was pregnant and could have been dead for a number of days already.
Ramil de los Reyes, a member of the BFAR marine mammal stranding response network, said the whale possibly died due to sickness.
“The visible spots of injury were due to barnacles,” he said, adding that the whale could be 10 years old.
Citing their records, De los Reyes said it could the biggest whale found dead in the region.
A crane, assisted by two forklifts, was used to haul the whale’s body into an 18-wheeler trailer truck to be brought to the BFAR center.
The crane operator said the whale could weigh about 30 tons.
Authorities decided to bury the carcass in a fish cemetery in Barangay Rio Hondo yesterday.