Giant sperm whale dies in Quezon waters

LUCENA CITY — A giant sperm whale that was stranded near a coastal village in Calauag, Quezon, on Tuesday died early morning Wednesday, a provincial environment official said.

Manny Calayag, community coordinator of the Quezon-Environment and Natural Resources Office (Quezon-Enro), said the whale died at about 7:30 a.m. in the shallow portion of Lamon Bay near the coast of Barangay Bangkorohan.

The whale was found alive by fishermen one kilometer from shore on Tuesday morning, said Senior Inspector Noel Divino, Calauag police chief.

He said the whale, which measured 40 feet long and 10 feet in height, had a wound on the right side of its belly.

“The whale is almost as long as a provincial bus,” Divino said in a phone interview.

Local policemen immediately provided protection to the whale until authorities from the Municipal Veterinary Office arrived.

Calayag said a group of experts from the Provincial Veterinary Office and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources immediately traveled to Calauag Wednesday dawn to also help in the rescue operation.

However, the whale was already dead when the group reached Calauag Wednesday morning.

Calayag said he recommended an autopsy for the dead whale to determine the cause of the death. The sex of the whale has yet to be determined.

According to Oceanic Research Group (https://www.oceanicresearch.org/education/wonders/spermwhales.htm) sperm whales are the largest toothed whales on the planet and perhaps the most abundant of the great whales.