Wounded pygmy killer whale dies after washing up on Cebu shore

A wounded pygmy killer whale washed ashore at a coastal area in Talisay City in Cebu province Wednesday evening, but died before local residents could aid it.

The animal—actually a member of the oceanic dolphin family despite its name—reached the shore at about 6 p.m.

Members of an ecological group are not discounting the possibility that it died after encountering big waves, GMA Cebu's Vic Serna reported.



"[N]amatay by nature dahil nalunod sa malalakas na alon... Mahirap kasi kung sasabihin natin na mga mangingisda dahil ang lakas ng alon," said Fishermen Sea Ecological Care (FISECA) secretary Fernanda Real Gonzales.

The report said the pygmy killer whale is 2.6 meters long, indicating it could be an adult. It is to undergo a necropsy Thursday before being buried.

Gonzales said another possibility is that the pygmy killer whale tried to reach shore because of its injury, but added it was unlikely the injury was inflicted by humans.

"Patitignan namin sa expert dahil kung titingnan natin parang wala lang pero baka may hemorrhage," she said.

She said the pygmy killer whale will have to be buried properly and soon, lest it cause contamination. — Joel Locsin/JDS, GMA News