Beached whale a rare species

DAVAO CITY — Representatives of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said the whale found on the shore of Barangay Matina here last Tuesday night, belonged to the rare beaked whale species.

Beaked whales are said to be the least known among all species of whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are rarely seen alive.

These whales are said to avoid ships and dive to great depths to catch cephalopods and fish.

Ari Bautista and Jom Acedes, both veterinarians and marine mammal experts of the WWF, arrived here Friday night to examine the remains of the beached whale preserved in one of the freezers of the Davao fishport complex in Toril district.

The beaked whale, weighing at least two tons and measuring 20.8 feet long, caught the WWF’s attention because this was the first time that such a species was reported in the country and preserved for further studies.

"I understand that even the international community is awaiting the results of the tests on the remains of the whale since it is said to be very rare," councilor Leo Avila, who chairs the city council’s committee on environment, said.

Avila was one of the first to respond to reports about the whale seen swimming near the coast at about midnight Tuesday.

"The residents tried hard to push the whale back to the waters but to no avail until it was already low tide at about 2 a.m. when it finally died," he said.

Avila immediately called the attention of local officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and other concerned agencies.