A melon-headed whale was returned to the wild after being stranded for a few hours in the waters of Barangay Tanabag, Puerto Princesa City.
With the help of barangay officials, the whale was able to regain strength after swimming close to the shoreline.
According to a press release dated August 5, the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) received a report August 3 from Tanabag fish sanctuary warden Ricardo Salgado that the whale was seen swimming around a buoy in the local fish sanctuary.
The whale was first spotted by a resident fisherman, who reported the sighting to Salgado.
The whale’s species is not an endangered animal under the PCSDS records, but according the barangay officials who temporarily cared for the animal, nearby residents of the neighboring Barangay San Rafael wanted to capture the whale for its meat.
The whale was able to swim back to deeper waters by the evening of August 3.
