These are the bones of a young, male Sperm Whale, we named Whaley. Whaley was stranded July 2012 off the coast of Karawang, after he got ‘hit’ by the sonar of an oil seeking vessel. He swam to the surface in panic and was injured. JAAN together with many volunteers from various places, including members from the special forces (Kopassus) and dive centers strived to rescue Whaley for 3 full days and managed to get him back in the ocean. Its was an incredible experience and emotional as well, for all members of the team. Unfortunately, as, he did not survive and later we learned why .. his thorax bones were broken due to the pressure that happened during his quick rise to the surface. We ‘buried’ him at the bottom of the ocean off Kotok Island. Whaley now is ‘resting’ at Kotok Island, JAAN’s center in the Thousand Islands and serves as an ambassador for fellow Sperm Whales in the ocean. May we all learn from his story. The Whaley case opened a new network of volunteers and collaborations on a Governmental level to protect marine mammals. ————————————————
Ini adalah tulang belulang dari Sperm Whale, yang kita beri nama Whaley. Whaley terdampar di pantai Karawang pada akhir Juli 2012, setelah ia ‘ditabrak’ sonar dari tongkang pencari minyak. Ia berenang ke permukaan dengan panik dan terluka. JAAN beserta banyak relawan dari berbagai tempat dan latar belakang, termasuk beberapa anggota Kopassus dan Dive Centers berjuang keras untuk menyelamatkan Whaley selama 3 hari penuh dan berhasil mengembalikannya ke laut. Hal itu merupakan pengalaman yang luar biasa sekaligus emosional bagi kami semua. Sayangnya, keesokan harinya kami mengetahui bahwa Whaley tidak dapat bertahan. Ternyata tulang toraks nya retak karena tekanan yang tinggi saat ia berjuang ke permukaan. Whaley sekarang ‘istirahat’ di Pulau Kotok, basecamp JAAN di Pulau Seribu, sebagai ambassador mewakili teman2 Sperm Whale lainnya di laut. Diharapkan kita semua dapat belajar dari kasus ini. Kasus Whaley membuka banyak jaringan relawan dan kolaborasi pada level pemerintahan untuk melindungi mamalia laut.
#spermwhale #jakartaanimalaidnetwork #marinerescue