Guest guest Posted August 4, 2001 Report Share Posted August 4, 2001 http://www.canoe.ca/NationalTicker/CANOE-wire.Whale-Entangled.html August 3, 2001 Entangled North Atlantic right whale on the move in Gulf of St. Lawrence HALIFAX (CP) -- Hopes of trying to disentangle a rare right whale were fading Friday as the ailing mammal continued to elude a team of marine scientists intent on removing a tangle of rope from his mouth. The animal, an endangered North Atlantic right whale, was more than 30 kilometres off the Iles de la Madelaine in the Gulf of St. Lawrence after tracking his way from the New England coast over the last few weeks. " It appears the logistics and the weather window are not going to be conducive to doing a disentanglement operation off the islands, " Jerry Conway of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said in Halifax, adding a rescue attempt could be mounted within 24 hours if the whale stays in one area. Marine experts from Canada and the United States have been waiting for the whale, who has attracted attention around the world, to settle in one spot so they can make plans to get out to him. But since he was first spotted off Cape Cod in early June and then began his erratic trek north, he hasn't stopped in one area for more than a few days. His condition appeared to be worsening, said Conway, who on Thursday got his first glimpse of the whale in several weeks as he flew over the area. The whale was much thinner and his normally glossy black skin has lost even more of its colour, turning a greyish-white. " Definitely in a two-week interval, there has been a noticeable deterioration, " said David Mattila, a whale expert with the Centre for Coastal Studies in Massachusetts who is handling the disentanglement. " But we're on hold until he settles in or we get some good weather. " The whale, dubbed Churchill, has been struggling to survive after a long line of rope became deeply embedded in its mouth and head, causing a serious infection. Many experts say his chances of survival are slim even if the team does successfully remove the rope. Conway said the whale, one of only 300 left in the world, was spending very little time on the water's surface, diving for food for 20 minutes and then resurfacing. He said that wasn't unusual for the species. The team, that was arranging for boats and planes to be prepared for a rescue attempt, was planning to try a complicated, unique procedure that involved sedating the 50-tonne whale and then trying to cut off the rope. Conway said that even if the weather did break, they could have trouble transporting their equipment to the area, which is somewhat inaccessible. The whale was keeping scientists on their toes as it continued to change course, pick up speed and head to areas where right whales might not normally travel. Days ago it appeared to be settling off the coast of Nova Scotia, giving the team the chance it's been waiting weeks for to try to remove the rope. Then it started moving again. Scientists thought he might head further into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where another right whale and two sets of mother and baby whales were spotted. About 20 right whale calves were expected to travel into the Bay of Fundy with their mothers this summer after a record 34 babies were born off the U.S. coast earlier this year. Right whales head into Canadian waters every summer to search for food in the plankton-rich Bay of Fundy and Roseway Basin. ============================ http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_366724.html Shoot sick dolphin, says pro-hunting MP A pro-whale hunting MP in Norway has caused uproar by suggesting that an injured dolphin called Flipper be shot. Steinar Bastesen advised the kindest thing to do would be to put a gun against Flipper's head and pull the trigger. He has angered animal welfare activists who have been caring for the animal, severely injured by a boat propeller off Stavanger. Mr Bastesen said: " There's no doubt that Flipper is in pain. The only way to end the suffering is to put a bullet to the animal's head. " It's as if people would prefer a suffering animal - for their own diversion - instead of putting it down, " Bastesen told the Stavanger Aftenblad newspaper. However, veterinary and marine experts do not agree that the dolphin is in pain, and Flipper's condition seems to be improving. The dolphin has enjoyed a groundswell of sympathy, especially from children. Mr Bastesen said: " You shouldn't mollycoddle kids. They need to lean about the harsh reality of life. The world is brutal, and they have to understand that when animals are in pain, it's better they die. " I don't have much experience healing whales, but I'm good at killing them! " Story filed: 14:35 Friday 3rd August 2001 =============================== http://www.abc.net.au/ra/newsdaily/s340765.htm Fishermen concerned about whale proposal Some long-line fishermen in Tonga say they have reservations about the proposed South Pacific Whale Sancturay. The Hawaii based regional on-line news site, Pacific Report, says the Kingdom's long-line fishermen are concerned that their lives are in danger from the growing number of huge whales they are encountering when they head for the deep seas in their small boats. One fisherman, Matavai Fonua =[PRON: mah-tah-VIGH fuh-NOOH-ah], is quoted as saying it's frightening to hear the whales thrashing about ten metres away. Mr Fonua says he's seen up to forty whales a day on fishing trips in the deep seas off Tonga. He says while this might be good for the whale watching business the threat to fishermen's lives is what concerns him. ============================ http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/991281 Aug. 3, 2001, 1:08PM SeaWorld biologists baffled by killer whale's death Associated Press SAN ANTONIO -- The oldest of SeaWorld San Antonio's five killer whales died this week, leaving park marine biologists baffled as to what killed her. SeaWorld staff performed a necropsy on Haida (pronounced hide-uh) on Thursday but do not expect to know a cause of death for at least a month. Tissue samples and various organs were sent to independent laboratories, park spokesman Bob McCullough said. " This was very unexpected, " McCullough told the San Antonio Express-News. " She showed some change in behavior, but nothing to suggest she was seriously ill. " Animal rights activists have long sought a ban on using orcas in marine parks, complaining that confinement causes psychological, physical and developmental problems that shorten the lives of the mammals. Marine park officials say captivity has not been proven harmful and can protect the whales from disease, predators, pollution and fishing nets. Haida was estimated to have been about 21 years old. She was captured in 1980 and lived at a Canadian marine park before being moved to San Antonio in 1993. McCullough said the normal lifespan for a killer whale is 25 to 35 years. But the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, based in Bath, England, estimates most orcas in captivity die before their early 20s, while orcas in the wild live an average of 29 years for males and 50 years for females. Haida weighed about 5,700 pounds and measured 18 1/2 feet long. She had been under 24-hour observation since Monday, when staff noticed changes in her behavior. She was given antibiotics but died Wednesday night. Haida is the sixth orca to die at the park since it opened in 1988. " Whenever an unfortunate incident like this occurs, it's like losing a member of the family, " said Dudley Wigdahl, the park's vice president of zoological operations. The park will continue operations with its other orcas, two males and two females. " We're pressing on, " McCullough said. " But it's a sad day at SeaWorld. 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