By Patrick Donohue, Destin Log, Fla. Jan. 6--It's been a busy couple of months for the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge's Marine Stranding Team. In early November, a 17-foot bryde's whale beached itself in Walton County. A week later, a dolphin was found floating dead in the waters around Joe's Bayou.

KOTA KINABALU: The Bryde's whale which died despite valiant efforts to save it will live on in the hearts of the people here. Efforts are under way to save its bones for the purpose of putting its skeletal frame on display, now that Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman has given the green light.

By Julia Chan KOTA KINABALU: It seemed like a happy ending. The crowds cheered as the Bryde's whale swam away from Pulau Gaya on Friday. And everyone assumed it had survived its ordeal because marine patrol officers didn't spot it again. But it was not to be.

By Roy Goh KOTA KINABALU: A whale, about 20m in length, became a hubbub of attention when it was found stranded in shallow waters off Pulau Gaya near here yesterday morning.

Whales have suffered greatly from hunting, especially by modern methods such as explosive harpoons. They have also come under threat from the steady degradation of their traditional feeding and breeding grounds due to human activity.