Staff reporter
LAOAG CITY—A female short finned pilot whale died after responders failed to stabilize the animal’s condition last month, a report said.
In a December 7, 2017 report furnished to regional director Nestor Domenden of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources based in San Fernando City, La Union, Ilocos Norte provincial agriculturist Norma Lagmay said the stranded animal managed to swim at about 11:20am Tuesday, December 6, 2017, after fisherfolk rescued her between the boundary of Brgys. Salugan and Victoria in Currimao, Ilocos Norte. Unfortunately, she got re-stranded again and died on Wednesday morning, December 7, 2017.
In a necropsy conducted by Dr. Jeneveve Suliva of the Provincial Veterinary Office, it showed there was “hemorrhagic lining of the stomach and small intestines as well as the womb. The stomach and urinary bladder are empty. Parasites were seen in the skin as well as in the intestines, and muscles at the base of abdominal cavity.”
To determine the cause of death, they took several internal organs and tissue samples and sent them to the University of the Philippines-Diliman for research and histopath examination.
On December 5, residents discovered the stranded 3.85-meter long adult pilot whale at about 6:00 am near the Currimao shoreline.
Arthur Valente, provincial fisheries and regulatory officer of the Provincial Agriculture Office said in an earlier interview the whale had bruises around the head and fins caused by crashing to rocks due to strong waves. At the time of the rescue, the whale had no buoyancy and had 6 breathing per minute.
Since January of last year, this was the second casualty of a stranded and rescued marine animal in Ilocos Norte, according to the Provincial Agriculture Office.