The 15 dead melon-headed whales found in a mangrove area in Catanduanes, Philippines, were part of a bigger pod of 70 animals. The group had already been monitored due to danger of stranding for a couple of days.
The first observations took place in the early morning of October 7th in Barangay Wagdas. After the pod got dangerously close to the shore, villagers proceeded to drive them to deeper waters until they swam away.
However, the same pod later found itself in a public swimming spot just a bit further down the coast. By the time officials arrived at the scene, beachgoers had already started hazarding the whales, getting very close in person or by boat, and taking selfies. The operation to guide the animals back to safe waters lasted until late in the night.
Still, by the next morning, the pod had returned to the shallow waters, this time in a mangrove area. Local fishermen called the officials in to save the whales, and while most of the pod was successfully driven back out to sea, not all could be rescued. Some were already lifeless and stuck in the mangrove roots by the time the rescue team arrived, while more were found down the beach later-on.
The carcasses were retrieved from the sea to be buried onshore. A spokesperson of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Bicol has announced that “blast fishing is the cause of the mass stranding” as many of the dead whales had been found with wounds in their eardrums, fins and blowholes. The exact location and source, however, could not yet be verified. Additional geothermal activity might have kept the unoriented pod from returning to deeper waters.
On a good note, the San Andres government announced that “the incident has prompted the municipal government to conduct an "educational campaign" that would prepare residents and government personnel on how to handle mass stranding of whales in the future.”
The full article and timeline can be found here: https://www.rappler.com/environment/nature/melon-headed-whales-found-dead-catanduanes
and on the municipalities official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sanandrescatanduanes/photos/a.3987257094623716/3987330514616374/
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