By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, June 18: A 13-metre-long whale skeleton, discovered at Pulau Seduku near Kampung Bakong, Sri Aman in Nov 2024, has been added to the Sarawak Museum Department’s zoological collection as its largest whale specimen ever to date, and is set to go on display as a major exhibit.
Sarawak Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the whale, believed to be a sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis), was initially found dead and drifting in the waters off Pulau Seduku before becoming trapped in the structure of the bridge under construction near the Triso Ferry.
“You might be seeing some skeletons down there. That is what we call the Triso whale.
“It looks very long but I can tell you that is only the tail of the whale. It should be three times that length,” he said during a press conference after chairing the Sarawak Heritage Council Meeting at a local hotel here today.
“I don’t know whether it was attacked by a crocodile or not because Pulau Seduku is a sanctuary of crocodiles,” he added.
The recovery of the whale involved the Sarawak Museum Department, Sarawak Forestry Corporation, and other local authorities. The skeletal remains will be preserved and prepared for public viewing.
“This is the third whale specimen or whale bone in the museum. Those of you who are familiar with the Natural History Museum, there is a whale also down there.
“But I can see that this one is much, much bigger than the one that I’ve seen in the old museum,” Abdul Karim noted.
He added that the department is currently identifying a suitable location for the exhibit.
“Hopefully we will find a place for it. It will be a good thing to see for us, whether it’s going to be in the new museum or the old museum later,” he said.
In addition to the whale skeleton, the Sarawak Museum Department has received several significant artefacts from public donors, further enriching its collection of historical and cultural items.
The minister stated that among the recent contributions is a set of traditional goldsmithing tools and machines donated by Teo Keng Boon, the grandson of esteemed goldsmith Teo Chai Seng.
He noted that the equipment was used to process and shape gold bars into plates and wires, which were then crafted into jewellery.
“Entirely operated by hand, the tools are estimated to be approximately 93 years old.
“The goldsmithing establishment, Chop Swee Hin, initially operated at No 11, Jalan Rock until 1950, before relocating to No 8, China Street, Kuching on Oct 18, 1988. The business ceased operations permanently on Nov 29, 2005,” said Abdul Karim.
Another contribution consists of two traditional Sarawak sunhats that belonged to Bill and Pam Lavery, which were donated by their son, John Lavery.
“The donor claimed that authentic sunhats were obtained during the formation of Malaysia in 1963 in Kuching.
“Bill Lavery was posted to Limbang that same year as a teacher and later served as headmaster under the Colombo Plan of External Aid of the Canadian government to Sarawak.
“The Lavery family left Sarawak in 1965. The hats were later passed on to their son, John Lavery, who entrusted it to the Sarawak Museum for safekeeping.”
Another valuable item is an old parang from Tebakang, Serian, which was donated by Lewis Mengu.
“The donor claimed that this parang has been in his family for almost 100 years. According to him, it originally belonged to a group of headhunters who confronted his forefather, Bueng, and his wife in the early 1900s.
“In the ensuing fight, Bueng fought bravely and took one of their parangs. He brought it back to Kampung Tebakang Bidayuh, where it became a treasured family heirloom.
“The parang remained with the Bueng’s family, passed down through generations.”
Additionally, two unglazed ceramic vases from Santubong were donated by Mohd Rizal Bujang, who stated that the pottery was discovered in the 1970s by his father, Bujang Abdullah, together with the late Ibni Zen and the late Othman Zen while they were fishing off the coast of Santubong.
Furthermore, two copper pots were donated by Surau Darul Falah, Kampung Tupong, and were handed over to the museum by the surau’s chairman, Sakeran Bujang, on June 12, 2025.
“According to Sakeran, the copper pots were used by the villagers to cook rice, porridge, and other dishes during communal events, and were kept at the surau.
“The pots are estimated to be over 70 years old, as they have been in use since the first surau was built.
“The current surau, where the pots were stored, is the third to be constructed and was completed on June 10, 2001,” said Abdul Karim. — DayakDaily
