Pygmy killer whale dies on Ilocos Sur beach, Philippines

Benny Saraos of the Bureau of Fisheries and Acquatic Resources (BFAR) office said that the whale with species pygmy killer whale was the first and the biggest whale stranded along the shorelines of the province since year 2000.

The whale measured 16.6 feet long and 266 inches in diameter and with an estimated weight of one ton.

It took at least 20 persons to move the whale from the beach to its burial site, which is a few meters up shore last Tuesday afternoon.

“We are suppose to bury the dead whale at the BFAR’s provincial office but due to its weight, we (buried) it here. However, we will exhume its skeleton after it had decomposed as we need to store it at our office for future reference,” he said.

Saraos suspected that the cause of whale’s death had something to do with internal hemorrhage due to illegal fishing activities at mid-sea.

“The bruises and surface wounds at the various parts of the whale’s body are not enough to cause the whale’s death but rather internal hemorrhage might be the real cause of its fatality,” he said.

He warned fisherman along the coastal areas of the province not to catch this sea creature as it is already an endangered species and therefore must be protected.