STANDING BEHIND ‘BUTANDING’. A huge crowd gathers to take a closer look at a dead whale shark, locally known as 'Butanding,' after it was found by fishermen floating in Manila Bay early Wednesday.

Fishermen found a dying whale shark near the shore of the Manila Bay early Wednesday morning and tried to tow it to safety but the giant fish, known locally as “butanding”, died nevertheless, the Philippine Coast Guard reported.

Information from the Coast Guard headquarters in Manila said local fishermen found the whale shark around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday along the breakwater of the South Harbor and thought it was a floating log.

When they went closer, they found out that it was a whale shark.

The fishermen immediately called the attention of the Coast Guard to save the animal and tied a rope around its tail to tow it towards the shore.

The World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines (WWF) cited conflicting reports that some fishermen claimed the whale shark was already dead while others said it was dying when found.

WWF communications officer Gregg Yan told the Manila Bulletin that there were two distinct marks on the whale shark. One was an injury on its tail from the rope and another was the absence of both eyes.

WWF is looking at the injury in the whale shark’s eyes or pollution in Manila Bay as “only two among many possibilities” that could have caused its death.

Yan said the whale shark was a young female species measuring about 15 feet. He said a mature whale shark could grow to as much as 40 feet.

Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau Director Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim said the carcass will undergo necropsy to determine its cause of death, which will be conducted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

Lim said they have been instructed by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Jose Atienza Jr. to investigate how the whale shark reached the area and why it died. “If it is related to pollution, Secretary Atienza’s order is to really clean up the Bay,” she said.

On the report that the whale shark’s offspring was also seen in the area, Lim said: “The size of the whale shark is more than five meters, but cannot be a mother because it is not grown up yet considering its size."

“Those found by Coast Guard surrounding the whale shark could be remoras or parasites,” Lim explained.

Some reports said the shark was found along the shoreline of Roxas Boulevard near the Manila Yacht Club.

According to Coast Guard Spokesman Lt. Commander Armand Balilo, the species is not usually found in the Manila Bay but is more usually found in Bicol and the Visayas.

BFAD officers Edwin Alesna and Romuel Paras later recovered the lifeless whale shark for further investigation.