Siban (right) and a villager with the 2.5 meters long baby whale which was found dead at Nanamun beach.
KOTA BELUD: Hundreds of villagers from Kampung Nanamun were shocked at finding a dead baby whale on Nanamun beach near here yesterday morning.
The mammal, measuring about 2.5 meters, was believed to have stranded at the beach a few hours before it was discovered by the villagers at around 10 am.
Several injuries were found on the mammal’s body and its skin was noted to have peeled off.
According to a villager, Siban Antau, 55, they made several attempts to pull the whale back into the sea but all efforts failed.
“We were surprised to find a baby whale, measuring about 2.5 meters, stranded on the beach. We tried to assist by pulling the whale back into the sea, hoping it would be able to survive but failed,” he said, adding that villagers believed the whale had been dead couple of hours earlier.
Siban said, the villagers had contacted the relevant authorities including the Sabah Fishery Department for further action.