SURAT THANI: A Bryde's whale has been sighted near the Mu Koh Angthong National Marine Park in the Gulf of Thailand, governor Wichawut Jinto said on Tuesday.
Mr Wichawut said the sighting of the endangered sea mammal was reported to him by Nathawat Nuisriram, chief of the marine park.
The Bryde's whale, or bruda whale, was seen swimming near Koh Hanuman, one of the islands in the marine park, on Monday.
A team of marine park officials was sent to confirm the sighting, he said. They spotted the whale, 6-8 metres long, feeding in the area around Koh Rok, Koh Paeyak, Koh Lae and Koh Hin Taek in the west of the park, and took pictures of it.
The pictures would be compared to those already in the database of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources in order to pinpoint its identity.
The park chief had been instructed to keep track of the whale and inform tour operators, tourists and fishermen of its presence, so they could be careful not to harm or disturb it, Mr Wichawut said.
In February and March 2021, two Bryde's whales, a mother and its offspring, were seen in Mu Koh Angthong National Marine Park.
Their presence was seen as an indication of the richness of the sea.