WHAT was supposedly a “photo op” with three stranded melon-headed whales in Hinigaran town, Negros Occidental has gained criticism and ire from various groups and netizens.
A video posted on Facebook by Pinoy Naturalist last Sunday, May 26, shows some residents, mostly adults, taking photos of them with the three whales.
It can be seen in the video that adult residents also allowed children to pose with the animals and even touch them.
The post has already garnered 1,800 likes and reactions, 435 comments and 1,400 plus shares as of Tuesday, May 28.
The video has caught the attention of different groups especially those working on environment protection and conservation.
The Negros Occidental Marine Wildlife Responders is worried and saddened by how the residents responded to the incident.
The network of responders has been working on training people on collecting data, responding and rescuing marine wildlife.
One of its trainers Mark dela Paz said this shows lack of awareness on the part of the community particularly on how to ensure the safety of stranded marine animals.
Dela Paz, also the research associate of the Center for Research and Engagement of the University of Saint La Salle-Bacolod, said touching the whales may cause additional stress and could inflict injuries to the animals.
“We take this as an opportunity to educate them,” he said, adding that “in this kind of situation, residents should not make contact with animals as these might also have diseases that could infect people.”
Lumba Project, a non-government organization in the Philippines, in its Facebook post, said this was not the proper way of handling stranded whales.
“Crowds must be kept far from them to minimize stress and transmission of zoonotic diseases,” it said, adding that people should also stay clear from the tail and avoid unnecessary contact.
Netizens also took to social media to express their dismay on what the residents have done to the stranded whales.
Nyakie Drew posted “poor dolphins... sana maparusahan sila (hope they will be punished) for doing this horrible thing.”
“It saddens me, please let them go, have pity for these baby animals,” Ana Gerongano said.
Another netizen mentioned the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), asking the agency to educate more people.
Eden Walsh commented “there is a big room for education. This is infuriating. I’m sure that if they learn how much they can benefit by doing right, they will do the right thing.”
The City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro)-Hinigaran said the “photo op” happened before its personnel arrived at the area to rescue the animals.
Liezl Namo, head of Cenro-Hinigaran, said they received the report on stranded whales around 10:15 a.m. of May 24.
Some fishermen, who just came from fishing, saw the animals at the shoreline of Sitio Ambacan.
Namo said Cenro personnel arrived at the area about 15 minutes after receiving the report and “there was like a fiesta when we arrived as residents were rejoicing.”
“It was hard for us to control the crowd. They don’t know that what they are doing is wrong,” she said, adding that “we immediately checked the animals before releasing it back to the sea.”
The three whales have no injuries.
Probably, they were “disturbed” by lightning and thunderstorm the night before so they moved towards the shoreline, Cenro said.
Also, they might be looking for food that time, it added.
Namo said they are not pressing charges against the residents but they already reminded them that their actions were wrong.
The Cenro head said the way these whales were handled violated the guidelines on rescuing marine animals.
“They are not allowed to touch the animals. We warned them to never make fun of the stranded whales,” she said, adding that the next time residents will do it again, they will already face corresponding penalties and sanctions.
Recognizing the need to further educate the public, Cenro is planning to intensify the conduct of information education campaign (IEC) especially among coastal communities.
It will tap Provincial Environment Management Office (Pemo) and other agencies and organizations to implement community-based programs like forums and dialogues focusing on ensuring the safety of stranded animals.
Ma. Elena San Jose, technical support services head of Pemo, said they are already discussing the incident among the members of the Negros Occidental Coastal Wetland Area Management Alliance.
“A joint effort will be conducted by Pemo along with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, local government units and other concerned agencies in further educating the public,” she added.