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  The Star 18 Dec 06
Freed whale found dead
By Ruben Sario

Yahoo News 17 Dec 06
Whale rescued off Malaysian island found dead

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - A large whale rescued in waters off Malaysia's eastern Sabah state by officials and tourists was found dead in the same area where it was trapped, WWF-Malaysia said.

WWF-Malaysia's marine coordinator, Ken Kassem, who helped to rescue the Bryde's Whale, rarely seen in Malaysian waters, said he had received reports it was found dead Sunday morning.

"We got reports from numerous people that it was back in about the same place and it was dead," Kassem told AFP. "Government agencies are working to remove the remains and dispose of them. It's being towed to be anchored offshore, where it can hopefully sink and decompose where it naturally would," he said.

Villagers on Gaya island, near where it had been stranded, said they saw the whale early Sunday lying on its side with the water around it turning red from blood, the Star daily reported on its website.

"We were all hoping it wouldn't happen ... It's common enough," Kassem said of the whale's return.

"I think everybody is pretty sad that it did."

Divers and wildlife officials had worked tirelessly to free the 20-metre long (65.62-foot) whale. It was sighted Thursday stuck on a coral reef in shallow waters between Gaya and Sapi islands off Sabah's coast.

"It was a big team with a lot of government agencies, NGOs and private citizens," said Kassem.

After an initial failed attempt, the whale, which suffered cuts from coral trapped under its body, was finally towed by a tugboat to deeper waters in the South China Sea on Friday evening, to the elation of rescuers.

"I was on the tugboat when we were towing it off the reef the second time and I could hear people in the smaller boats closer to the whale cheering at one point," Kassem said. "Once we all got back together, everybody was very happy to have got it off the reef," he said.

Kassem said it was unclear why the whale had returned. "We really wanted it to swim off and live happily ever after. Sometimes that's not the case," he said.

Bryde's Whales have been the target of intensive whaling. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has put it on a list of threatened species.

The Star 18 Dec 06
Freed whale found dead
By Ruben Sario

KOTA KINABALU: Luulumbo is dead. The worst fears of rescuers, who freed the injured 24m-long Bryde?s whale, were realised when the animal was found dead yesterday at almost the same spot where it got stuck in shallow waters off Pulau Gaya on Friday.

Hopes were high that the whale had survived the ordeal after it was towed to sea and not sighted on Saturday.

However, Pulau Gaya islanders said they noticed the whale, known to Kadazandusuns as Luulumbo, at about 2.30am yesterday. And sunrise revealed the animal lying on its side with waters around the carcass turning dark red as blood began leaching out from the carcass.

As word of the animal's death spread, dozens of islanders, locals and tourists came in boats to look and take pictures of the carcass which was already smelly.

Worldwide Fund for Nature marine mammal researcher Dr Linsay Porter, who was among the dozens of marine scientists and volunteers involved in freeing the whale, said that although she had been hopeful after animal was freed, its death came as no surprise.

"When a marine creature like that becomes stranded it means there is something very wrong with it. Its natural instinct is to stay away from the shore," said Dr Porter.

She said rescuers tried to quickly tow the 22-tonne whale to open sea to give it a chance to survive although they did not know the extent of the internal injuries it suffered apart from some bruises and cuts on its body.

The whale had been trapped in the shallow waters since Thursday and after several attempts, it was finally towed out by tugboat at about 7.45pm on Friday.

Dr Porter said she had recommended to the Sabah Parks officers that the carcass be towed to the open sea and allowed to decompose naturally. She said the carcasses of marine mammals like whales tend to decompose quickly, more so in the tropical heat.

Sabah Fisheries Department director Rayner Stuel Galid said the department had hired a fishing vessel to tow the whale which was removed at about 1pm. He said the whale was towed some five nautical miles from Pulau Gaya and was anchored with weights on the seabed about 70m below the surface.

He said the skeletal remains of the whale could later be retrieved if the Sabah Museum Department or Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Borneo Marine Research Institute were keen on them.
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