Negros Occidental locals grab, climb on stranded whales just for a photo

Locals found three melon-headed whales stranded along the shore in Brgy. Gargato, Hinigaran, Negros Occidental, and instead of helping them back to deeper waters, they started riding the marine mammals, grabbing the flippers and raising them above the water just to take a photo.

According to Raffy Tima's report on 24 Oras, the video showcasing the locals' actions was uploaded to environmentalist Facebook page Pinoy Naturalist as a call to the people to respect marine wildlife.

The person who uploaded the video remains unknown, as well as why the whales ended up in the shore in the first place or what happened to them after the video ended.

Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines director Dr. AA Yaptinchay criticized the locals' actions.

"Maingay, maraming tao, maraming hahawak, maraming magpapa-picture. Nakakadagdag lang ito sa stress so actually hindi ito nakakatulong sa hayop so posibleng mas lumala 'yung kondisyon nila," he said.

Yaptinchay said that if animals such as the melon-headed whales end up in the shore, it actually means that the animals are encountering a problem, further proving that they should not be so hastily approached or touched.

He advised that if people find marine animals stranded on the beach, they should first report the incident to the authorities, such as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

While people wait for the experts to arrive, it is important to not let other people near the animals.

Yaptinchay said, "Posible rin na may sakit 'yung hayop na makahawa naman sa tao so that's one of the concerns: safety ng animal at safety rin ng community." — Kaela Malig/BM, GMA News