Local fishermen were surprised to see a whale shark or “butanding” in Manila Bay before dawn on Wednesday.

The fishermen spotted the 20 ft. long whale shark as they were going to the open sea at around 1:30 a.m.

The whale shark was floating on its belly and its fins were still flapping, the fishermen claimed. However, the whale shark died 10 minutes after it was brought to the shore.
The whale shark’s cause of death is still unknown. Coast guard members who arrived on the scene said they did not find injuries in their inspection except for a wound on the tail.

They said the wound could have been inflicted by the rope used to pull the whale shark which was tied around its tail.

Another whale shark, about 2 ft. long, was seen floating around the bigger whale shark while it was being pulled to the shore.