Grown men were in tears as Colin the abandoned baby humpback whale struggled as he was dragged behind a boat before being left to thrash on a beach after he was injected with a fatal dose of anaesthetic this morning. Soon after 8.30am (AEST) officers from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) at the Basin in Sydney's northern beaches gave the calf what was believed to be as many as seven jabs of anaesthetic.
"It's a tragic end to a program that dozens of people have put their hearts and souls into," said NPWS spokesman John Dengate, describing the act of ending Colin's life as "harrowing".
NPWS spokesman Chris McIntosh said: "It was a sad moment, but it went quietly to sleep. The calf has been quietly and humanely euthanased."
A vet on board a small boat administered an anaesthetic through a large needle, by simply leaning overboard and injecting the weakened humpback calf, he said.
But activists said more could have been done to save Colin and locals who witnessed Colin's death said it lacked dignity. Locals were in tears after the whale was euthanased.
In a shallow cove at Coasters Retreat, NPWS officers and Sea World Vet David Blyde administered about seven injections before towing the whale across the bay. The local community was outraged at how the NPWS dragged the baby whale, bucking and thrashing, across 300m of water. It was still thrashing when it was pulled up on the beach.
“I don’t understand why they didn’t let it die quietly,” said Michael Brown. “It was obviously distressed. I’m 41 years old and almost collapsed.”
Mr Brown and other locals were crying as the baby whale - which had sought refuge in the bay for five days - was lashed by ropes to the NPWS boat as it continued to struggle.
Showing posts with label whale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label whale. Show all posts
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Beached Whale Euthanized
VERO BEACH, FL--Harbor Branch officials Tuesday euthanized the female pygmy sperm whale found early this afternoon at South Beach in Vero Beach.
The 9 1/2 --10 foot long whale was diagnosed with a heart condition called cardiomyopathy and had fluid in the lungs, said Gregory Bossart, chief marine animal veterinarian at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce.
A necropsy on the whale will be conducted early Wednesday morning, Bossart said.
The 1,000 pound whale became beached about 1:30 p.m. near South Beach, according to the Vero Beach Police Department. Indian River County Fire Rescue crews used water from their fire engine to rinse the whale and keep it wet until Harbor Branch officials arrived.
The 9 1/2 --10 foot long whale was diagnosed with a heart condition called cardiomyopathy and had fluid in the lungs, said Gregory Bossart, chief marine animal veterinarian at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce.
A necropsy on the whale will be conducted early Wednesday morning, Bossart said.
The 1,000 pound whale became beached about 1:30 p.m. near South Beach, according to the Vero Beach Police Department. Indian River County Fire Rescue crews used water from their fire engine to rinse the whale and keep it wet until Harbor Branch officials arrived.
Abandoned Baby Whale Weakens
A baby humpback calf that turned to a yacht for maternal care in Sydney's waterways after being abandoned by its mother will be lucky to survive the week -- unless it finds a more likely guardian. Wildlife officers have grave fears for the young humpback's survival after watching it grow weaker yesterday.
John Dengate, the director of public affairs for the NSW Department of Environment, said: "It has to get humpback whale milk and there is no way that that can be provided in captivity. Unless it finds its mother or a foster mum, its chances are very, very small."
The whale, believed to have been born on the NSW coast two to three weeks ago, was seen in Pittwater, north of Sydney, on Sunday and was found again on Monday in Refuge Bay trying to suckle a whale-sized yacht called Uplift.
"It attached itself to a yacht, it thought the yacht was its mother," Mr Dengate said. "It is very sad." The calf left the yacht after it was towed out to sea about 1km from Barrenjoey Head on Monday. Despite other whales passing the area, the calf turned up at Pittwater again yesterday morning, at Great Mackerel Beach and The Basin.
NSW Parks and Wildlife Service officers monitored the calf throughout the day and consulted with the RSPCA, Sea World and Taronga Zoo over the best way to help the animal. "This may well be nature taking its course but nonetheless we are doing all we can to help," Mr Dengate said. He said it was not uncommon for one or two dead whale calves to be found on NSW beaches each year.
A gray whale calf was successfully reared in captivity in California in 1997, but Mr Dengate said hand-rearing humpbacks was a different story. Gray whales were smaller, had a shorter suckling period and could access their natural food supply close to their release site in California, whereas a released humpback would have to make its way to Antarctica.
John Dengate, the director of public affairs for the NSW Department of Environment, said: "It has to get humpback whale milk and there is no way that that can be provided in captivity. Unless it finds its mother or a foster mum, its chances are very, very small."
The whale, believed to have been born on the NSW coast two to three weeks ago, was seen in Pittwater, north of Sydney, on Sunday and was found again on Monday in Refuge Bay trying to suckle a whale-sized yacht called Uplift.
"It attached itself to a yacht, it thought the yacht was its mother," Mr Dengate said. "It is very sad." The calf left the yacht after it was towed out to sea about 1km from Barrenjoey Head on Monday. Despite other whales passing the area, the calf turned up at Pittwater again yesterday morning, at Great Mackerel Beach and The Basin.
NSW Parks and Wildlife Service officers monitored the calf throughout the day and consulted with the RSPCA, Sea World and Taronga Zoo over the best way to help the animal. "This may well be nature taking its course but nonetheless we are doing all we can to help," Mr Dengate said. He said it was not uncommon for one or two dead whale calves to be found on NSW beaches each year.
A gray whale calf was successfully reared in captivity in California in 1997, but Mr Dengate said hand-rearing humpbacks was a different story. Gray whales were smaller, had a shorter suckling period and could access their natural food supply close to their release site in California, whereas a released humpback would have to make its way to Antarctica.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
San Juan Orca Update
SanJuanJournal.com
A calf has been born in "L pod" in the San Juan Islands, possibly bringing the population of the pod to 44 and the overall population of the beleaguered Southern residents to 89. However, the Center for Whale Research warns that at least two other L pod whales may be missing.
The sighting of the calf, on August 12, is welcome news. It is followed by a week of news that the oldest of the Southern residents, K7, was missing and presumed dead. At the same time, the carcass of a killer whale calf believed to have been aborted was found on a Henry Island beach.
A calf has been born in "L pod" in the San Juan Islands, possibly bringing the population of the pod to 44 and the overall population of the beleaguered Southern residents to 89. However, the Center for Whale Research warns that at least two other L pod whales may be missing.
The sighting of the calf, on August 12, is welcome news. It is followed by a week of news that the oldest of the Southern residents, K7, was missing and presumed dead. At the same time, the carcass of a killer whale calf believed to have been aborted was found on a Henry Island beach.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Blue Whale Song Grows Deeper
The New York Times reports that the song of the blue whale, one of the eeriest sounds in the ocean, has mysteriously grown deeper.
The calls have been steadily dropping in frequency for seven populations of blue whales around the world over the past 40 years, say researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and WhaleAcoustics, a private research company. The scientists analyzed data collected with hydrophones and other tools and found that the songs, which they believe are by males advertising for mates, had lowered by as much as 30 percent in certain populations. Much of the song lies at frequencies too low to be detected by the human ear.
The calls have been steadily dropping in frequency for seven populations of blue whales around the world over the past 40 years, say researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and WhaleAcoustics, a private research company. The scientists analyzed data collected with hydrophones and other tools and found that the songs, which they believe are by males advertising for mates, had lowered by as much as 30 percent in certain populations. Much of the song lies at frequencies too low to be detected by the human ear.
Navy Sonar Remains Limited
The Natural Resources Defense Council says an agreement approved today by a federal judge in southern California allows the Navy to only slightly expand the scope of its training missions using low frequency sonar. The Navy had sought to expand the sonar's use to up to 70 percent of the world's oceans.
In Hawaii, today's agreement forbids the service from using the low-frequency arrays close to the Hawaii Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary or the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. It also forbids use of the sonar within 50 miles of the main islands.
In Hawaii, today's agreement forbids the service from using the low-frequency arrays close to the Hawaii Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary or the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. It also forbids use of the sonar within 50 miles of the main islands.
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