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Jakarta Post

The whales and the people

To the rescue: A local resident tries to save pilot whales washed ashore in Pesisir village, Probolinggo, East Java

Aman Rochman (The Jakarta Post)
Probolinggo, East Java
Tue, June 28, 2016

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The whales and the people

To the rescue: A local resident tries to save pilot whales washed ashore in Pesisir village, Probolinggo, East Java.

A recent unexpected visit from 32 pilot whales has recalled century-old local wisdom through which the giant sea mammals are venerated.

Amid the rumbling sound of northern sea waves, residents were thronging to the shoreline as the tide ebbed in the afternoon recently to watch dozens of pilot whales being washed ashore in Pesisir village, 15 kilometers east of Probolinggo, East Java.

Local residents showered the 32 giant mammals with sea water while waiting for the tide to run high to make their effort easier.

The rescue effort is part of an old local belief that venerates whales, dolphins and other sea creatures.

Descendants of the ethnic Madura group living in the northern coastal areas of East Java — Probolinggo, Bondowoso and Situbondo regencies — dare not hurt or consume the meat of these sea mammals and big fish for fear of karmic consequences and retribution.

If anyone in the area hurts or kills these animals by accident when fishing, the local community will hold a prayer ritual to ensure their safety by inviting neighbors in the afternoon or evening of the same day.

This time, however, the village residents encountered a different species of sea mammals.

Pilot whales have never before been swept onto the edge of the sea, especially not in such a large number, Pesisir village head Supeno said.

He said only this time had pilot whales been stranded as far as coastal downstream and mangrove areas.

“What we have mostly seen stranded here are whale sharks with white spots,” added Supeno.

The appearance of whales and dolphins is unpredictable, Supeno said, whereas white-spotted whale sharks have more often drifted ashore, ranging from yearly to every three years.

As part of their respect for the sea creatures, local fishermen will stop their work when whales, dolphins and whale sharks arrive and provide transportation services for residents wishing to witness the sea mammals and big fish swimming back to the sea.

“When sea mammals and big fish show up, we’re blessed with extra income from the rental fees for carrying people by boat. We dare not use fishing nets or rods for fear of hurting the animals,” said M. Nurhasan, a fisherman.

The rescue effort for the pilot whales lasted until night. At 8 p.m., as the tide was rising, villagers and volunteers along with soldiers using lamps and rubber boats managed to release 20 pilot whales out of the 32, enabling them to swim into the sea.

The other 12, comprising young whales 2 to 4 meters long, failed to escape for being entangled in mangrove roots. Their long struggle with hot weather and a lack of sea water immersion eventually caused their death.

The villagers then prepared a mass grave for the 12 pilot whales to be buried.

“The whale funeral follows the tradition of Pesisir village. It is conducted in the way a human funeral ceremony is carried out,” Supeno explained.

During the unique funeral, which also attracted neighboring villagers, local people contributed shrouds and tombstones, and later scattered petals and offered prayers for the deaths of the 12 whales.

They were praying to God, pleading for protection in connection with the death of pilot whales as well as for blessings so that the yield in their fishing operations would be abundant.

It seems that the local fishermen will keep protecting the giant sea animals as part of their big ancestral family’s cultural wisdom and tradition of respecting all living things, no matter how small or big.

— photo by Aman Rochman

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