MANILA, Philippines — A whale shark, locally known as butanding, died of extreme exhaustion in Balayan, Batangas yesterday, the Philippine Coast Guard reported.
The PCG said in its Facebook post that the shark, measuring 13.8 feet in length and 2.95 feet in width, died at 5 a.m. near the shoreline of Barangay 10.
Responding teams from the PCG and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office tried to coax the shark to return to deeper waters, but it continued to swim back close to the shoreline.
“Early assessments revealed signs of extreme exhaustion, raising concerns for the well-being of the animal,” the PCG said.
“Despite their (responding teams’) best efforts, the whale shark repeatedly returned to shallow waters. At 5 a.m., the whale shark was confirmed dead near the shoreline,” the Coast Guard added.
Following local regulations, the remains of the whale shark were formally turned over to the Municipal Fisheries Office for proper disposal.