Pod of Pilot Whales Trapped in Fishing Net Off Rote Ndao Waters

A pod of pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) became trapped in a fishing net in the waters of Fuanfuni Village, Rote Barat Daya District, Rote Ndao Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on Monday afternoon (9 March 2026). The marine mammals were subsequently rescued by police.

“A pod of pilot whales was indeed found trapped in a fishing net,” said Rote Barat Daya Police Chief Ipda Subur Gunawan to detikBali on Monday.

Subur explained that the incident began when police received information from the community. This information was then relayed to the Rote Barat Daya Police Station duty officer. Shortly afterwards, police proceeded directly to the location to investigate.

After checking, the report proved accurate. Several police personnel then used boats and were assisted by a number of fishermen to herd the pod of pilot whales into deeper waters.

“With whatever equipment we had available, we successfully herded the pod of pilot whales into deeper waters,” Subur explained.

According to Subur, the objective was to prevent the pod from becoming trapped again as the sea level began to recede. The dramatic operation took approximately three hours.

“We are grateful to the fishermen who assisted in the rescue operation of the whale pod carried out today,” Subur concluded.