සයුරට මුදාහැරුනු හයිටං හොඳින්

Rescued whale spotted few months after release into South China Sea

A pilot whale that was rescued earlier this year and later released into the ocean after recovery was recently spotted by a research team in the South China Sea.

Researchers spotted the whale on July 4 during a survey of marine life in the South China Sea conducted by the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The injured short-finned pilot whale was stranded on the beach of Haitang Bay in south China's Sanya in January. The rescue team named the whale "Haitang" after the bay, which also refers to the Chinese flowering crabapple.

In May, "Haitang" was released back into the sea after full recovery. This was China's first successful rescue and release of a stranded short-finned pilot whale.

Two months later, the research team managed to reunite with "Haitang" by tracking signals from the device attached to the whale and observing the sea. The team also sought to understand "Haitang's" adaptation to the wild since its release and its reunion with the group.

The researchers found the group of whales by recognizing their large dorsal fins.

According to the signals from "Haitang", the whale has left a clear trace, which shows that it is swimming further and diving deeper since returning to the sea. The whale's area of activity includes the seas off Xisha Island, east of Hainan Island, about 54 nautical miles from the coast at its closest and 190 nautical miles at its farthest.

"Haitang's activity track is consistent with that of the large group of short-finned pilot whales we saw. It indicates that 'Haitang' is in the large group of short-finned pilot whales we saw," said Li, Songhai, chief scientist of this voyage.

During the five-day voyage, researchers also assessed the status and geographic distribution of cetacean populations in the South China Sea. In the waters off Xisha Island, the team saw more than 1,000 whales and dolphins, including short-finned pilot whales, Fraser's dolphins and rough-toothed dolphins. Hundreds of dolphins swim with the whales, demonstrating the area's biodiversity.\

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දින 145කින් යළිත් නිල් සයුරට ගිය හයිටං
Rescued short-finned whale successfully released in Hainan

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