Yes, you read that headline correctly, and no, this story is not about a sexual act.
An ill 2.4-meter dwarf sperm whale that was found close to the shore near Phuket’s infamous Bangla Road at Patong Beach was treated and released last Wednesday.
The cetacean weighed only 150kg and was suffering from cuts on its head and dorsal fin.
“We gave it an injection of antibiotics and vitamins to protect it from infection and to help it to regain its strength. After that we released it back to the sea,” Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, who heads the Phuket Marine Biological Center’s Endangered Species Unit, told the Phuket Gazette. (Photos can be found on the Gazette website.)
“We saw it swimming weakly on the surface of the water, which is often a sign that a whale is suffering from some illness. Whales, even dwarf whales, usually swim underwater. The whale might have been heading for the beach because it was too weak to swim and was injured by waves pushing it onto rocks.”
Kongkiat said thay his team would continue to monitor the dwarf whale offshore to make sure it doesn’t beach itself again.
Only seven dwarf sperm whales have been found in Thailand’s waters in the last 25 years, Kongkiat said: four in Phuket, two in Satun, and one in Phang Nga.
Illustration: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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