Source : The Star, Malaysia, 15 Dec '06
By : The Star
  

At least two rescue attempts to tow the mammal out of the Pulau Gaya shores into deep waters of the South China Sea failed after the Bryde’s whale vigorously flipped in protest for being tugged out by boats.

	Volunteers helping to rescue the whale which has been stranded since Thursday night.

Rescuers, hoping for a late evening tide to make another attempt, failed to do so as hundreds of tourists and Pulau Gaya folk helped pour water on the bruised mammal.

“It is a difficult task, we are working on various plans to get it out into open sea.

“Our worry is that the whale is undergoing severe stress as it fights for its survival,” Wildlife Department west coast chief Peter Malim said Friday.

He said that the whale, estimated to weigh about 20 tonnes could be suffering from a fractured fin.

Malim said Sabah Parks, Fisheries Department, Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s officials from Marine Institute, WWF Malaysia and other volunteers were at the scene to help in the rescue of the mammal, which has been stranded since Thursday night.

“It is rare for a Bryde’s whale to be spotted so close to our shores. It is the first time that we are faced with this kind of a rescue operation,” he said, adding that the whale was a protected species.

He said they had obtained a water pump to pour water on the whale that was measured at a length of 24m or 72ft and with a width of about 8.1m.

A group of 10 anglers in two fishing boats off Pulau Gaya first spotted the distressed creature, which was making shrieking sounds at about 11pm, some 500m from the southern side of Pulau Gaya facing Pulau Sapi.

“We followed the sound and found the whale. We got into water and I climbed on top of it. I realised it was injured when I found bloodstains on my t-shirt,” said 19-year-old college student Alsaif Mugyusal.

Alsaif said they decided to try and guide the whale out into deeper waters but it refused to budge.

“We just poured water on it through the night and by morning we informed the marine police base in the city,” said Alsaif from Papar who had gone to stay with his aunt in Kg Lok Urai at Pulau Gaya for the school holidays.

As rescuers plot plans to pull the ailing whale to the safety of deep waters, rescuers at the scene fear that the injured whale might not survive another night along the shallow shores.

The Bryde’s whale or also known as the Tropical Whale are found in tropical waters. They can grow to a length of 12 to 14m and weigh up to 26 tonnes.