ILIGAN - A young Melon-headed whale died after its tail was entangled in an anchor line about 30 kilometers off Barangay Camague here.

Fisherman Tito Dimco said the whale was playing near their fishing boat at midnight and got its tail caught in the anchor's rope.

The whale dragged the small seacraft as it swam around in an effort to free itself.

Dimco sailed back to shore at 6 a.m. with the weak whale still tied to the rope.

It eventually died.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said the fishermen could've cut the rope but the whale would still be tied down to the heavy anchor.

The whale weighed 200 kilos and was eight feet long.

The City Agriculture Office estimated the whale to have been two or three years old.