Catanduanes blast fishing kills 9 whales

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines — Nine melon-headed whales, believed to be victims of dynamite fishing, washed ashore in Barangay Bonot, San Andres, Catanduanes yesterday.

“These whales suffered acoustic trauma due to a strong explosion in the water,” Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Bicol spokesperson Nonie Enolva told The STAR.

Enolva said the dead mammals were reportedly with a group of around 70 whales spotted in the area.

She said the whales lost their balance because their auditory nerves were damaged in the explosion, which also caused the water to enter their blowholes.

Enolva said each whale was about 2.75 meter-long.

43,000 chickens die of heat stress

Meanwhile, around 43,000 chickens died from heat stress after a power outage hit a poultry farm in Laguna.

In a photo posted on Facebook by local radio broadcaster Kevin Pamatmat, several residents were seen picking up the chickens in Happy Nest Poultry Farm in Barangay Maravilla in Nagcarlan after the owner decided to give them away.

Initial information showed that a power outage hit the barangay for about four hours due to maintenance works in a nearby town. The generator in the farm did not also function well due to a damaged breaker.

Barangay councilman Severino Piamonte said the chickens are safe to eat because they did not die of any disease.