Residents call for help for whale<\/p>\n
MANOKWARI, Irian Jaya: Residents have called on both domestic
\nand foreign experts to come to the rescue of a whale which has
\nbeen stranded on Arfai beach since Jan. 5, Antara reported
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
"Unless there's help soon, the whale will die," one resident
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Yopi Muskitta, head of the World Wide Fund for Nature's local
\noffice, said so far there is no clear explanation as to why the
\nwhale was stranded. He suspected that it was hunting for food too
\nclose to the shallow waters.<\/p>\n
The whale is from the protected family Balaenopteridae whose
\nmembers are reportedly able to survive without feeding for up to
\ntwo months.<\/p>\n
The whale is reportedly getting weaker because it has not been
\nable to feed or free itself. Up to yesterday, efforts by local
\nagencies have not succeeded in freeing the whale because it is
\nsurrounded by coral reefs.<\/p>\n
M. Situmorang, of the nature conservation office said on
\nSaturday that the whale was already distressed and has not had
\nenough to feed on since low tides stranded it on the beach. The
\nmammal is 20 meters in length and three meters high. (swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/residents-call-for-help-for-whale-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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