After a long and painful adventure in the sea _ stuck in a fisherman's net _ injured pygmy killer whales Paradorn and Tammy were washed to shore almost three weeks ago and taken to a pond at the Phetchaburi Coastal Aquaculture Station.

There they were taken close care of by three vets and some seven officials, but there they died _ sparking tears among the caretakers who had given them their names.

The team was grief-stricken when Paradorn, a male, died eight days ago. They were determined to save the female, Tammy, but those hopes too were shattered when she died on Monday.

``The pygmys had maybe a 50-50 chance of survival when we got them. They were in bad shape, but we refused to give up hope. We did our best to save them. Their deaths saddened us very much,'' said Assoc Prof Dr Nantarika Chansue, a veterinarian from Chulalongkorn University's Veterinary Medical Aquatic Animal Research Centre (VMAARC).

Dr Nantarika said that this was the first time she had worked with live pygmy killer whales. Wounded or sick whales normally die at sea and the vet sees only those whose bodies wash up by the shore.

The rare arrival of these two animals has highlighted key needs in relation to marine animal issues, the vet said.

``We desperately need a skilled rescue team that can swing into action when injured animals hit the shore. Proper rescue procedures and correct transportation is crucial if the animals are to survive.
 

``The country also has a shortage of marine animal specialists who can provide proper preliminary treatment to injured or sick animals. This situation must be addressed,'' she said.

Pygmy killer whales are rarely seen because they live in deep sea and because their numbers have dropped sharply over the last few decades. The major threat to the survival of what is now regarded as an endangered species is getting entangled in fishing nets.

``When a whale gets entangled in a net it can't get to the surface to breathe, and it drowns. It's a slow, drawn-out process and pneumonia develops unless the whale is lucky enough to be spotted and released,'' said Phuwanai Chaisri, a fishery official from the aquaculture station.

Pygmys die in ordinary nets as well as in the large nets used to catch tuna. They are hunted by Japanese fishermen and it's estimated that up to 800 of the animals are caught every year by Sri Lankan fishermen. There are no records of pygmy deaths off Thailand, but it is likely that huge number are killed every year, said Phuwanai.

The tragedy of the whales was highlighted in the recent incident, which began on January 21 when fishermen found three animals stranded off Naresuan beach in Phetchaburi province. They had clearly been injured in gill nets. The critically-injured animals rolled around in the surf for a night before one died. News of the animals' plight reached local authorities the next day and the centre was quick to act.

``When we first saw them they were about 500 metres off-shore, floating like logs. They couldn't swim or dive. They were so weak that it was easy to catch them. Fishermen helped us transport them,'' said Tanan Sanggontaivagit, director of the aquaculture station.

The animals were placed in a 1.5 metre deep, three-rai seawater pond, and the centre approached fish vet Dr Nantarika for help.

Blood samples showed that the animals had lung and liver infections. Their breath smelled bad and they had respiratory problems. About 20cc of antibiotics a day was prescribed. A daily dose of 10cc of vitamins was also given because the animals were refusing to take food. Vitamins help the body system balance and function normally.

Administering shots to the animals was the hardest part of the treatment. As they gained some strength, it took six or seven people to catch each animal and hold it still. Since the pygmys were stressed, their muscles were hard and tense, which made it difficult for the vet to administer the syringe.

``It's crucial that you know the anatomy. Some types of medicine must be injected through blood vessels, others through muscle. It can kill the animal if the medicine is injected in the wrong place,'' said the vet.

Special beds were also designed to help the animals to stay afloat.

``We needed to keep them in a limited area because they were unable to swim. Their blowholes needed to be exposed all the time so they could breathe,'' said Dr Nantarika. Four officials took turns maintaining a 24-hour watch on the ``bed-ridden'' animals.

Fishery official Kamol Kungpong counts himself lucky to have had the chance to help. He planted himself in an open-air truck by the pond so that he was available to help the animals at a moment's notice.

"I watched them all night long. They were so weak and dependent. Often I would hear what sounded like a drowning noise and I'd rush to the pond, but it wasn't anything. At times I had to adjust their positions so they could be comfortable. It would have been easy for them to drown," said Kamol.
The predator pygmy killer whales refused to take food offered by the officials so some 100 mullets were released into the pond for them to hunt on their own. But they showed little interest.

Sunburn was another major risk. Given their severe pneumonia and swollen lungs, the animals had to float much of the time, with part of their upper bodies above the water surface. Vaseline was applied to protect the skin from the sun.
Being in captivity added to their mental stress _ and exposed them to potential new problems, said Dr Nantarika. "The pond is rather shallow and their fins got scratched on the bottom. Also the pond water wasn't as clear as deep sea water and it was saltier than they are used to.
"There may have been slightly less stress because they were a pair. At least they had each other for support; they weren't alone in the unfamiliar environment," said the vet.

But it is not safe to keep wild whales in captivity for more than 10 days. After that length of time the animals can develop new, tough-to-treat problems like eye infections.

The vet had planned to release the animals after nine days' treatment _ so long as they could swim properly, breathe well, and their lungs were clear. It was a good sign that the animals had started to struggle when approached by staff, said Dr Nantarika.

- nfortunately Paradorn died the day before the planned release. An autopsy revealed that his internal organs were full of parasites.
"He weakened because he wouldn't eat, and the parasites took over," said the vet.

So Tammy alone was taken back to the sea, accompanied by some 10 people. But she was too weak _ she swam around for almost an hour before heading back to shore.

"The lungs weren't strong enough to allow the animal to dive. It looked so exhausted. It couldn't brave the big waves. Instinctively, a whale will head to shore if it's that weak," said the vet.
Tammy was taken back to a larger pond at the centre, but she died five days later.

Dr Nantarika is able to find a bright side amid her deep sorrow over the deaths. The joint effort between local officials and villagers was impressive, she said. And the deaths may help raise awareness of the plight of the whales among locals and inspire people to try to help save them.

"This is an opportunity for us to learn more about this species. Pygmys live in deep water and marine biologists have little information on them. Now we will do research on the bodies of these two," she said.

For her it was a valuable learning experience. "Treating wild whales is difficult. It's clear that we really need a proper rescue centre, with medical treatment units, a surgery room and large ponds. We also need trained personnel and equipment like transport slings."

The centre could also serve as a science research base, she said.

The shortage of marine animal specialists also needed to be addressed, said Nantarika. "So far, this country has focused only on marine animals used for agriculture or entertainment [dolphins], she said.

"We haven't paid attention to conservation issues. It's high time we did so. All sectors need to cooperate on this."


A learning experience

Dr Nantarika Chansue will never forget her first encounter with live pygmy killer whales. Although the vet was trained to handle marine animals at Sea World in Florida in the US, it was with a special excitement that she approached the recent challenge to save the two injured animals.

``This case was different. It was wild whales. It was one of the most interesting cases I've ever had,'' said the vet.

There are key differences in treating pets and wild animals, said Dr Nantarika.

``When you treat pets, you have to `treat' the owner too. I have to explain the symptoms, and so on. A pet's condition is usually dependent on the owner's behaviour and level of understanding. It's all a bit gruelling, but it's satisfying to see people learn to take good care of their fish,'' she said.

``Treating large fish can be difficult too. Some of them are aggressive. Also, I have to work in a pond, sometimes under hot sun or rain.

``In the whale case, it was hard to predict the effect of the treatment. I had no idea what they had been through, no idea of their history.''

A lot of teamwork was involved. ``It was hard to catch the whales, so I couldn't do my job alone, I needed strong men to help me.''

The vet needed to look after herself, too. ``After doing the blood test, we found that the bacteria that caused the whale to have pneumonia was one that could be transmitted to human beings. So we had to handle the animals carefully and take preventative medicine right away to protect ourselves,'' she said.

Dr Nantarika was glad to have been able to learn from her experience _ both scientifically and in relation to the animal's behaviour.

``It was very interesting. The whales helped each other out, they tried to take care of each other. The male always hung around when the female was getting a shot. They were always side by side. That was so lovely.''

She developed strong feelings for her patients. ``I could sense their anger, satisfaction and frustration. They were so smart. I felt so glad when they started to improve. They would swim directly to me,'' she recalled.

Inevitably, their deaths were a blow to her spirits.

``I was heartbroken when I heard that the first had died. But I told myself not to give up. But it was so sad to watch the other one then _ it was as if it lost the will to live after its friend died. Its eyes were empty.

``We had planned to release it last Tuesday, hopefully someplace where there were dolphins or other pygmys. But it didn't happen.

``Anyway, those two pygmies still `swim' in my memory''.


Facts about Pigmy killer whales

The pygmy killer whale is the smallest of all the blackfish, and similar in size to the dolphin. This species is also known by other names including slender blackfish, and slender pilot whale.

The pygmy killer whale was first known to scientists after two skulls of a previously unknown species were discovered. They were examined by John Gray of the British Museum and later named Fersesa attenuata. It was not until after 1950 that the real species was discovered.

Pygmies have blunt noses and round heads. The upper jaw extends beyond the lower one. The lips and the lower jaw are white, creating a sort of "goatee". Its dorsal fin is about 220mm high and fairly pointed with a slight curve. The front part of the body is rather robust while the midsection is slimmer. An adult pygmy killer whale reaches a maximum of 2.6 metres in length and weighs about 225 kilogrammes. Its colours vary from black, blue-black to greyish brown.

Pygmy killer whales are found throughout subtropical and tropical waters around the world including the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Indian Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The pygmy killer whale's staple diet includes squid, seals, sea lions, and large fish like tuna.

Pygmies are social in nature. They often live together in groups of 50 individuals or more. On sunny days, they are frequently seen resting, an action called "logging".

When captured, these whales are quite aggressive but they are not considered dangerous to humans. When being handled, the whale can emit a growling noise by forcing air through its blowhole.