UNLIKE in previous stories where several aquatic mammals were found dead on the shoreline in Davao Region, a live whale shark was spotted swimming Friday morning, July 5, along Davao Gulf.
In a 12-second video posted by Alejandro C. Romo Jr. on his Facebook account while going to Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) onboard of a ferry boat, he was able to capture a juvenile whale shark swimming in Davao waters. As of 5 p.m., the video gathered more than 1,000 reactions and almost 3,000 shares.
Davao City-based American marine biologist Darrell Blatchley said that this creature is not an unusual visitor in Davao Gulf. He said in a previous report that Davao is a home and migration path for many species but irresponsible garbage disposal of people threaten the marine species.
“Last year same time, we had one in the Davao Gulf. It died in Tagum due to plastic. Whale sharks frequently enter the gulf just not seen,” he said.
In August last year, a dead whale shark was spotted at the shoreline in Barangay Cabugan, Tagum City, Davao del Norte. The whale shark measures 14 feet or 4.3 meters.
In previous months, several species were washed ashore in Davao shoreline and upon conducting a necropsy, a surgical examination of the dead animal, it was learned that the cause of death was due to plastic ingestion.
The whale shark population continues to decline globally. Based on the study published in PeerJ, the Journal of Life and Environmental Sciences, the Philippines is home to the world’s largest fish, the whale shark which is locally known as Butanding.
The species, often called as “gentle giants”, was listed in 2016 to be “endangered to extinction” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to a population decline of more than 50 percent, largely caused by continued exploitation in the Indo-Pacific. (JCR)