FOUR whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) – more commonly known as butanding, toki or tawiki – became adventurous and again swam through Dagupan’s waters Monday night.

        Dr. Westly Rosario, center chief of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Dagupan City, told The PUNCH, that the gentle gigantic creatures were sighted swimming “merrily” about 100 to 200 meters away from the shoreline in Bonuan Binloc.

“They looked very happy,” said Rosario of the whale sharks that are commonly more than four meters long and weighing about four tons each.

BFAR personnel led by Rosario went out on speedboats to check on the creatures after concerned residents reported their presence.

“They were not stranded but they were merely enjoying swimming, they even swam below our boat,” said Rosario, adding  “We  thought  they were wounded based on initial text message sent to us by a concerned citizen but we found out they  manifested normal behavior as they keep their mouths wide open and were eating while swimming.”

Nonetheless BFAR will continue to closely monitor their presence to prevent people from harming the creatures.

“Based on what the people have demonstrated, we could say that they are now educated in dealing with whale sharks,” he said.

Francisco Villaflor, whose family owns a rest house overlooking the beach, and other concerned citizens themselves have been keeping close guard of the butandings since the were sighted.

In May 2001, about five whale sharks were also sighted at the Lingayen Gulf but one of them had its tail chopped, an injury caused by dynamite sticks thrown at them by some fishermen who wanted to catch them.

“Their presence in the Lingayen Gulf could be a manifestation that they have food to eat here,” Rosario said.

Whale sharks are a filter feeder that sieves small animals from the water. As it swims with its mouth open, it sucks masses of water filled with prey into its mouth that includes plankton, krill, small fish and squid.

The water temperature at the Lingayen Gulf could be another reason why the butandings have been navigating hereabouts, added Rosario. 

Butandings, deemed very social giant sea creatures that have random stripes and dots on   its very thick dark gray skin, have become a popular tourist attraction in Donsol, Sorsogon. #

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