"The locals of Wawiyai struggled to help the whale due to the shallow water in the area. The whale was too heavy for the people to move," Yance, a villager of Wawiyai of Kabui Bay, Raja Ampat, stated on Monday.
Yance remarked that the common Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei) was found stranded in the mangrove area of Wawiyai on March 19, 2020, and the local government of Raja Ampat was notified of the incident.
He noted that on March 21, 2020, a joint rescue team from the local government had visited the site to observe the condition of the whale stranded in the Wawiyai Estuary of Kabui Bay.
"The joint rescue team had also warned the people to not disturb or approach the stranded whale," he revealed.
Yance stated that the whale had died on March 21, 2020, at around 5 p.m. local time after the rescue team returned to Waisai, the capital of Raja Ampat District.
"We have also reported about the whale having already died to the local government of Raja Ampat District," he added. The local government officials have yet to furnish an explanation to this end. However, based on the information gathered by ANTARA, the stranded whale was, in fact, unwell and had got stranded at the Wawiyai Estuary in pursuit of a quiet place to recover. (INE)
Related news: 20-meter-long whale washes ashore on Rote Ndao Coast, NTT
Related news: Pilot whale washes ashore on South Gorontalo beach
Related news: Cruise ship visits to Raja Ampat yet to contribute significantly
Reporter: Ernes Kakisina, Yuni Arisandy
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
