Migratory whale sharks make rare visit off Legazpi shoreline

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LEGAZPI CITY, Feb 17 — Hundreds of residents of this city hoping to catch a fleeting glimpse of rare visitors flock to the shoreline.

For the third time, whale sharks, locally known as butanding, have reappeared in the waters off this city.

The presence of these gentle sea giants, six of them, near the seashore here has attracted tourists since Monday last week.

The migratory wanderers were sighted about the area within the breakwaters, at the waterfront vicinity of Embarcadero de Legazpi and Legazpi city boulevard.

The whale sharks’ traditional feeding ground is the waters in Donsol town of Sorsogon, making it a favorite destination for tourists, especially during this month and until summer.

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Though this is not the first time that the gentle giants came in the warm waters of Albay Gulf, their sudden reappearance still surprised local residents.

The whale sharks were first spotted on Monday, Feb. 10, between 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

“This is not the first time that the butanding visited our waters because since 2010, butanding sightings have been reported to our office by local residents. The presence of butanding really proves that Albay Gulf is still clean and has abundant supply of plankton,” Rosal said. (with additional PNA report by Rhaydz B. Barcia)

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