Villagers save five beached pygmy killer whales in Thailand

Villagers and marine officials rescued pygmy killer whales stranded in a mangrove forest in Thailand.

The pygmy killer whales - a rarely seen type of oceanic dolphin - were believed to have been searching for food when they wandered into the Ban Ao Kung mangrove area in Phuket.

Volunteers and coastal resources officers arrived to rescue the pod of six on August 3.

Three of the creatures were found to be in good health, two appeared weak, and another was in critical condition after being entangled in mangrove roots.

Officers administered glucose and saline to the critically injured pygmy killer whale, but it unfortunately died from suspected oxygen deprivation.

The team tried to herd the rest of the pod back to deeper waters, but they kept circling back into the mangrove swamp.

Fearing the whales would be further stranded, the rescuers decided to transport them into the open sea on their boats.

Footage shows the rescue team easing the whales back into the water, with the pod later gliding away after being released.

Meanwhile, the deceased whale, measuring 6.9 feet in length and weighing over 220 pounds, was taken to the Marine Resources Research Center in the Upper Andaman Coast for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Pygmy killer whales are listed as 'Least Concern' on the IUCN Red List and are included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

They are also protected in Thailand under the Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act.

These elusive whales are rarely found near the coast, except in areas where the water is deep and clear.

The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources said they were also previously found stranded on the coast in Phetchaburi and Trang.