JAKARTA: A sperm whale has been found stranded at Teritip Beach, about 35km north of Balikpapan city in East Kalimantan, with local residents and officials trying to help the animal back to the sea.
As of Friday (Sept 27) morning, the whale could still be seen floating on coastal waters with a depth of less than two metres. Its body was only partially submerged, leaving its blowhole above the water.
Local residents had been trying to help the animal by watering its exposed body and covering it with wet towels.
A fishery officer from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry Heri Seputro said that his office received a report of a stranded whale from fishermen on Monday around 11am. He then contacted the East Kalimantan Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA) in Balikpapan to check on the stranded whale, but when officers arrived at the beach on Monday they found no signs of a stranded whale.
“We patrolled the area for a few [nautical] miles but could not find it,” he said on Thursday, adding that officers at the time thought the whale might have returned to deeper waters.
“However, on Wednesday, fishermen again reported a stranded whale at the same location,” Heri said.
He said officers found the 25-meter-long whale near the shallow coast with its head facing the land. Its tail was seen moving up and down while its blowhole regularly breathed air.
“We are happy that the whale is still alive,” Heri said. He said officers were still trying to help the whale back to deeper waters, but the animal was not responding. Officers had to be very careful because of the whale’s size.
He said the officers and volunteers steered the whale’s head to face the open seas to the East by Wednesday evening, hoping it could return to deeper waters during high tides as the animal had done on Monday before being found stranded once again.
The next day, however, the whale remained in shallow waters. He said officers were still trying to help the whale by keeping it wet as it began to show signs of weakening.
Local residents also volunteered by preparing nylon ropes and a ship with a strong enough engine to help pull the whale to deeper waters during high tides around Thursday evening, he said.
East Kalimantan BKSDA head of conservation Bambang Hari Trimarsito said the whale only needed to be pulled to waters deep enough for it to be able to swim.
“We hope the whale’s sonar ability is not damaged so it can return to its route,” Bambang said. He said whales use echolocation for navigation, and if the whale found stranded on Wednesday was the same one spotted on Monday, its echolocation ability might not be working properly.
Ministry official Heri said Teritip Beach had low but wide tides, and during low tides the beach would extend a half kilometre into the sea while during high tides the water would rise for only around 150 to 200cm.
“It’s really sad because [the whale] is really stuck,” he said.
The stranded whale on Wednesday is the first of its kind to have been found in Balikpapan in the past 20 years.
Sea turtles and dolphins had previously been found stranded near the area, some of which were able to return to the sea, while others were unable to survive. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
