Stranded short-finned pilot whale returns to habitat in Sanya

Marine experts have confirmed that the short-finned pilot whale named Haitang, which was stranded with injuries in Haitang Bay in Sanya, Hainan province on Jan 3, has returned to its normal habitat.

The island province initiated the first follow-up survey activity on July 4 following the release of the short-finned pilot whale back into the sea on May 26.

Short-finned pilot whales are nationally protected second-class wild animals in China. They are social deep-diving cetaceans. "Returning to the ocean does not mean returning home," said Li Songhai, a researcher at the Institute of Deep-sea Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.