Whale trapped in Moramo Bay

KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi: A sperm whale is trapped in Tambolosu Bay, Moramo subdistrict, some 70 kilometers southeast of Kendari, Antara reported on Monday.

The whale has been trapped in the narrow bay for a month now and will certainly perish unless it is freed.

"We are very concerned by the condition of the whale and hope that efforts will be made to coax it out from the bay where it is now trapped," Silverius Oscar Unggul, director of Kendari Foundation of Love for Nature, said.

Unggul said the whale, measuring about 12 meters in length and having a white belly, is in danger not only because of the shallow water, but also faces starvation and harm from local fishermen.

"This type of whale usually lives offshore at a depth of up to 1,000 meters, but the water in Tambolosu Bay goes to a maximum depth of less than a 100 meters," he said.

The whale became trapped in the bay during an unusually high tide in January, a phenomenon which occurs biennially, he said.