Stranded whale saved
By MUGUNTAN VANAR
KOTA KINABALU: There were loud cheers and claps when divers and a tugboat finally towed a 24m-long Bryde's whale from shallow waters off Pulau Gaya near here last night.
The bruised and bleeding whale, called Luulumbo by the Kadazans, was towed out of the shallow waters to the South China Sea under the watchful eyes of concerned nature lovers, including divers from Scubazoo, who worked tirelessly to rescue the whale which had been trapped in the shallow waters since Thursday.
Relating how the whale was freed, Scubazoo operations director Simon Enderby, who was among those helping to tie the mammal to the tugboat, said: It was an elating moment.
MAMMOTH RESCUE OP: A tugboat crewman spraying water on the Brydes whale as it is towed from shallow waters off Pulau Gaya to the South China Sea on Friday. --Photo courtesy of Scubazoo
Enderby, a senior diving photographer, said they first attempted to tie ropes on the whale's front pectoral fins and tow it out with tugboat Bina Satu at around 5pm.
The ropes slipped off after we managed to move the whale some 100m, said Enderby.
He said a group of divers Marcus Ruff, Dr Nicholas Pilcher, one identified only as Moss and himself managed to re-attach the ropes to the whale by 7.20pm.
This time we used thicker ropes and hooked them to the tugboat, he said and explained how they managed to pull the whale to deeper waters. The rising tide was another factor that ensured the success of the rescue.
As we entered the deep channel between Pulau Gaya and Pulau Sapi the whale swam away and disappeared in the darkness at about 7.45pm, he added.
We dont know where it was headed but we hope it is doing fine, said Enderby, explaining that their worst fear is that the whale would die because it was badly injured.
The whale had been stranded for nearly 24 hours and Enderby said that it had lacerations from the corals and its body weight had been crushing its lungs. Tourists and residents from Pulau Gaya had poured water on it to keep it cool.
Among those involved in the rescue of the whale were Sabah Parks, Wildlife Department, Marine Research Institute members and also whale expert Dr Linsay Porter, together with WWF Malaysia.
Interviewed by The Star on board the Bina Satu tugboat, skipper Drajad Nardi said it was their first time rescuing a whale as they mostly hauled barges for the reclamation of land for the Kota Kinabalu International Airport extension.
We are tired but we feel good. Our hope is the whale will swim away and survive, said the Indonesian skipper.
