ALAMINOS, Philippines – Two small whale sharks have been seen in the waters of the Hundreds Islands National Park near Alaminos City in Pangasinan.
A diver was able to shoot underwater video footages of the creatures.
“Nakakatuwa talaga kasi first time ko. Di ko makakalimutan na experience to… sumakay ako sa likod nya,” said engineer Ismael Najera, general services officer of the Alaminos local government.
Experts believe that the whale sharks, the largest fish in the world, could be part of a 7-member pod that was recently spotted in Sual town.
Whale sharks were last seen in the national park in 1998, according to diver Pol Viray.
The 2 creatures, which measure around 3 meters long each, may have lost their way while foraging for food, which consists primarily of plankton.
“May 3 theory yan bakit nagbi-beaching o stranding. Una, dahil sa pagkain, naghahanap sila ng pagkain,” said city veterinarian Ronaldo Abarra. “Pangalawa, human activities gaya ng fishing.”
“Pangatlo, pag binibisita ka ng butanding… indikasyon na maganda ang programa mo sa environmental management and protection,” he explained.
Local fishermen have been deployed in the area to watch over the whale sharks. – Kori Quintos and Noriel Padiernos, ABS-CBN News North Central Luzon
