Humpback whale spotted unusually close to Taiwan's southern coastline

Taipei, April 2 (CNA) A humpback whale was spotted in waters near the southernmost point of Taiwan's main island in recent days, prompting local authorities to dispatch a patrol boat on Tuesday to ensure the protected mammal was not disturbed by overzealous whale watchers.

Chen Chun-shan (陳俊山), deputy director of the Kenting National Park Service, told CNA on Tuesday that the marine conservationists made sure the whale was left undisturbed in waters between Pingtung County's Hengchun Peninsula and Houbihu Bay from around 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

Both the Kenting National Park Service and the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) jointly called for whale watchers to maintain a safe distance, particularly from mothers with their calves, Chen said.

The agencies recommend boats slow down and reduce noise when approaching the whales, and keep a distance of at least 300 meters from the creatures.

Chen also reminded people not to litter, chase or encircle whales, feed them, touch them, or break up whale pods.

Wang Hao-wen (王浩文), director of the Marine Biology and Cetacean Research Center at Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University, noted that photos shared online suggested that this humpback whale might be one of four spotted last week in waters near Taitung County's Changping Township.

Wang explained that, although orcas have been known to attack humpback whale calves, he had not received any reports of such incidents and no orcas were seen when the humpback whale was observed today.

The marine biologist explained that humpback whales migrate south to Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines during the winter and return north in the spring.

Although it is rare for humpback whales to come this close to Taiwan, Wang added, further investigation is needed to understand why this whale moved south to Hengchun Peninsula after being spotted in southeastern Taiwan's Taitung County, instead of continuing north.