Kota Kinabalu (The Star/ANN) - Despite its brief "stay" in Sabah, Tony the pygmy killer whale has gained a huge following, particularly on Facebook.
Underwater photography company Scubazoo has been posting regular updates about the marine creature's progress while close to 200 people have followed Scubazoo's wall on Facebook, posting comments or "likes" on Tony's updates.
"Good job guys! Thank you for rescuing whale!," Alisha Zahra wrote while Nick Long considered the rescue as "like watching Free Willy all over again!"
Hordes of people also gathered at the enclosed lagoon of Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa to catch a glimpse of Tony, clapping and cheering after volunteers successfully lifted it into the speedboat waiting to ferry it to the open waters on Wednesday.
Marine mammal expert Dr Lindsay Porter, who led the rescue work to save Tony, was delighted to see it up and about in open sea.
"(The) Whale got off boat ok. Watched as he did a deep dive, then he surfaced and supported himself at surface," Dr Porter said in her text message to The Star.
"First just his head out then his back and dorsal fin. He was breathing regularly. So, now we hope for the best."
Dr Porter said pygmy killer whales were normally active during dusk, dawn and at night.
No tracking device was placed on the animal, and as Tony swam away, volunteers could only pray for the killer whale's survival in its natural environment.
Tony had been found stranded in shallow waters, looking weak and with cuts on its body at the Tanjung Aru beach here on Tuesday. However, thanks to round-the-clock attention and care by volunteers, the rarely-spotted pygmy killer whale regained its strength and was deemed fit for release into open sea just 36 hours after it was found beached.
Tony was brought to the enclosed lagoon at Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa where he was tended to.
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