A 10-meter whale shark weighing about three tons got her decent burial in a fish cemetery in the province of Pangasinan, northern Philippines. The whale was found floating on the shore of Manila Bay last December 29, 2008.
Because of its sheer size, the whale shark had to be chopped into manageable sizes and dropped into the corner grave of the 1000 square meter fish cemetery using a boom truck.
According to Inquirer, about 100 people who attended the burial were awed by the sheer size of the whale which had been sawed into several hefty chunks.
The gentle whale shark was named Roxanne by reporters and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in honor of 2009 as the year of the Ox in the Chinese calendar.
It took almost three hours to bury the whale at the corner of the 1000 square meter fish cemetery. It was the 15th sea mammal and the biggest so far to be buried there, according a report by the Inquirer.
Dr. Wesley Rosario, BFAR Center chief, the sea mammal’s species has not yet been determined, although it has features of either the Minke whale or the Bryde’s whale. ‘It’s only through DNA test by which we can determine the species. he said, adding that it was the first time that such kind of whale was seen in the country.
Dr. Rosario added: ‘the whale shark could have been dragged by a ship into the harbor. Based on its necropsy, the whale could have drowned. ‘Sea mammals need to breath. When put into canister with preservative solution, their lung tissue sinks, so this whale most probably drowned’.
Whale sharks are known tourists attraction in another province in southern Philippines because they are gentle and friendly to people. In a recent published article by this writer, these friendly giant whale sharks, locally known as ‘Butanding’are attracting tourists from around the world because they are friendly, sociable and they interact with humans.
The Donsol whale sharks are found in the town of Donsol, Sorsogon, Philippines and they are seen there during the months of October up to May each year