Whale carcass found near Batu Pahat

Rare sight: Curious onlookers as the rescue operation to tow a whale from shallow waters along Pantai Rambah near Pontian takes place.

PONTIAN: A carcass of a whale was found in shallow water along Pantai Sarang Buaya near Batu Pahat, about 120km from Pontian.

Batu Pahat Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency enforcement chief Lieutenant Commander Maritime Muhammad Zulkarnain Abdullah said the agency received information about the matter from local fishermen at around 4.45pm yesterday evening.

He said the waters in the area were shallow and MMEA boats could not get closer to the animal for better investigation.

He said the agency would pull the carcass onto the beach area once it was high tide early today.

“Once the high tide comes in we will be able to bring the whale carcass towards the beach,” he said in a statement yesterday.

He, however, said the agency was not able to say whether it was the same whale which was found near Pontian waters on Monday.

The 15m-long whale, which was found swimming dangerously close to the coastal area along Pantai Rambah, was saved by a group of people who pushed it back towards the open sea.

The sighting of the whale on Monday sparked a frenzy among the people, with many taking pictures with their mobile phones.

One of the fishermen, Ismail Sirat, 47, who was involved in the rescue, said when he first heard news of the whale sighting, he dismissed it as a joke.

“But when I went to the Pantai Rambah recreational park, I saw a huge crowd of people looking at the whale.

“But no one went to help the animal. It was struggling as it was constantly moving its tail.

“I then decided to take my boat and rescue it,” said Ismail.

Ismail, with the help of his elder brother and a friend, managed to tie a rope around the whale’s tail and pull it to deeper waters.

Ismail added that about nine people, including two men from the Pontian Fire and Rescue Department, helped to push the whale while he used his boat to pull the 15m-long mammal.

“We struggled for almost three hours,” he said, adding that the marine police cut the rope around the mammal’s tail before it swam away.

“While we were pulling it to deep waters, the whale kept swimming against the flow and moving from side to side. It was quite dangerous for us, but we did it.

“The marine police followed the whale to the open sea, which was a huge relief.

“I feel very happy that I was able to play a part in saving that whale. I will relate the tale to my children and grandchildren,” said a beaming Ismail.