Moving video of a young whale being rescued

[kenny]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcXU7G6zhjU

 

[missy]

Thanks for sharing Kenny. I was hesitant to watch and it was upsetting and heartbreaking to watch but thank goodness she was rescued. What a beautiful animal.


For those of you who want to skip ahead to the happy part it's around 6:10 into the video. The joy and appreciation the whale shows is amazing and worth watching.

Also for those who want to help the whales check out this website.
http://www.greatwhaleconservancy.org

 

[sonnyjane]

Just a PSA, should you come across a whale in distress here in the states, there are professional disentaglement teams located around the country. It is illegal (and dangerous) to attempt a rescue like this on your own in the states. Contact the police or coast guard and they can alert the proper team.

 

[kenny]

Thanks missy and Sonnyjane for posting that info.
I was not aware of that.

It makes sense that only properly trained people should do this, but there is also the problem of judgement of how much time remains before the animal dies.
An untrained person is not officially qualified to judge this, but may feel common sense is enough if they perceive an emergency.

But, to do nothing beyond making a phone call (if you have cell coverage) or on a radio and wait and watch would be heart-wrenching, especially if officials didn't show up soon enough and you witness the animal's death.

If this video is authentic, and I suspect it is, the understanding and the joy the whale seems to express moved me to tears, and I'm a pretty heartless b@stard.

 

[chrono]

A beautiful video that touched my heart. Thank you, Kenny. And by the way, glad to see you back.

 

[kenny]

Thanks Chrono.
It's nice to be back.

I love PS, and am getting tired of being banned so I'm gonna try really hard to violate my conscience and just shut up about some things.

 

[CJ2008]

Thanks Kenny for posting.

Thank Missy for alerting us to from what point it's good to watch for those of us who can't watch otherwise

Thank you sonnyjane for that info.

And nice to see you, Kenny.

 

[tuffyluvr]

I've seen this video before and it is so wonderful!

I was at the beach on Friday and saw rescue efforts of NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard to help a 75ft blue whale with hundreds of yards of fishing line and a buoy wrapped around her tail. Unfortunately they had to call of the rescue efforts as night fell and they couldn't find her in the morning. She swam south and was spotted off the Coronado Islands in Mexico on Monday. The Coast Guard cannot fly/sail into Mexican waters, so please think good thoughts that this beautiful creature will either swim back up north so the Coasties and NOAA can help, or further south where a Mexican rescue team will be able to reach her!!!

 

[tuffyluvr]

Edit: it is fishing net, not fishing line.

 

[sonnyjane]

Thanks missy and Sonnyjane for posting that info.
I was not aware of that.

It makes sense that only properly trained people should do this, but there is also the problem of judgement of how much time remains before the animal dies.
An untrained person is not officially qualified to judge this, but may feel common sense is enough if they perceive an emergency.

But, to do nothing beyond making a phone call (if you have cell coverage) or on a radio and wait and watch would be heart-wrenching, especially if officials didn't show up soon enough and you witness the animal's death.

If this video is authentic, and I suspect it is, the understanding and the joy the whale seems to express moved me to tears, and I'm a pretty heartless b@stard.

Kenny, I agree that it would be hard to sit by, and in a case like this one when the dolphin approaches the divers, I'd do the exact same thing they did: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVMmPjwxESg

The issue is that the bigger the animal, the more dangerous the situation. Humpback whales (as in the video you posted) have injured several and killed at least one due to people coming too close. The response teams can usually mobilize fairly quickly (arrive within 1-2 hours) and they do ask that you stay on scene if possible to keep track of the animal. Waiting for professionals is nothing to be ashamed of. Many times, you only get one chance at this. If someone trying to be a hero were to try to jump in and assist without the proper equipment, it could scare the whale, who can swim nearly 20 miles per hour and hold its breath for up to 45 minutes, causing the animal to never be seen again. The best thing to do is stay back and keep a distance from the animal so you don't scare it away. Some entanglement cases actually require mild anesthesia which obviously can only be administered by the professionals. Sure, if you cut fishing line free from a dolphin as in the video I posted and it goes well, you're a hero, but if it goes poorly and you or the animal die, you best believe that NOAA will be on your ass. Penalties are up to $25,000 and a year in jail.

Also, trust me that entanglement cases are a SLOW process, and as sad and torturous as it is, the average time for an entangled animal between entanglement and death is approximately five MONTHS. No animal you see entangled will perish by waiting a few hours. If it does die within that short time, then there was absolutely nothing that could be done to save it in the first place as it was already past the point of no return.

Tuffylvr, as far as the blue whale update, Mexico also has teams at the ready and US officials are working with them - no need for the whale to swim back north (and it likely won't). There has not been another sighting since Monday, unfortunately and they did not attach a GPS buoy because they weigh 50 pounds and they didn't want to slow the animal even more. They have to be very cautious with this blue whale rescue as there is no documented case of a blue whale being disentangled. Last year here in San Diego a blue whale completely capsized a 22' inflatable RIB boat - the same boats that are used by the stranding teams. They need to make sure that they have more than one vessel on the scene and that they aren't too far from shore that they can't be rescued should something bad happen. Because of this, they won't launch unless there is a credible sighting, so for now, we just wait...

 

[sonnyjane]

Edit: it is fishing net, not fishing line.

You had it right the first time - the news got it wrong (as always). It's appx. 400 feet of line with a buoy attached, likely a crab trap line. The rescue team attached a second buoy to make the animal more visible but it does not have a GPS on it as I mentioned above, as it would be too heavy in this case.

 

[Rockinruby]

Thanks for sharing Kenny. Beautiful story!

I have to thank Missy for giving the notation of where to skip for the happier parts!

 

[jordyonbass]

Also, trust me that entanglement cases are a SLOW process, and as sad and torturous as it is, the average time for an entangled animal between entanglement and death is approximately five MONTHS. No animal you see entangled will perish by waiting a few hours. If it does die within that short time, then there was absolutely nothing that could be done to save it in the first place as it was already past the point of no return.

From someone who has spent a HUGE part of their life on the ocean I can verify that this is pretty close to fact; if not, then the animal will have more time than that on average IMO. Countless times I have seen fishing equipment with barnacles and weed growth on both the mammal/shark and the tangled gear, indicating that the gear had been on the animal for a long time and in almost every case it seemed like the animal was not affected by it. So what this indicates to me is that any fish/animal that ends up tangled in nets in a way that could be mortal is most likely to be tended to by the fishermen due to the problems it causes for said fishermen (with the exception of deployed shark nets).

Any animal that has washed up on a beach with fishing gear tangled on it almost certainly did not die due to the fishing gear. If that were the case they would be dead on the ocean floor, miles out to sea where the gear is typically used and not washed up at a surf beach.

 

[sonnyjane]

Also, trust me that entanglement cases are a SLOW process, and as sad and torturous as it is, the average time for an entangled animal between entanglement and death is approximately five MONTHS. No animal you see entangled will perish by waiting a few hours. If it does die within that short time, then there was absolutely nothing that could be done to save it in the first place as it was already past the point of no return.

From someone who has spent a HUGE part of their life on the ocean I can verify that this is pretty close to fact; if not, then the animal will have more time than that on average IMO. Countless times I have seen fishing equipment with barnacles and weed growth on both the mammal/shark and the tangled gear, indicating that the gear had been on the animal for a long time and in almost every case it seemed like the animal was not affected by it. So what this indicates to me is that any fish/animal that ends up tangled in nets in a way that could be mortal is most likely to be tended to by the fishermen due to the problems it causes for said fishermen (with the exception of deployed shark nets).

Any animal that has washed up on a beach with fishing gear tangled on it almost certainly did not die due to the fishing gear. If that were the case they would be dead on the ocean floor, miles out to sea where the gear is typically used and not washed up at a surf beach.

I have to say this is completely false so wanted to clear it up for others (and so you'll know of course moving forward).

First, the gear typically goes WITH the whale, especially in the case of lobster/crab pots which are the biggest culprit. The gear is long away from the site by the time fishermen realize it's gone. The fishing gear is absolutely fatal to the animals, but it's a slow death. The gear slows them down, preventing them from feeding properly, leading to malnourished animals. Then, as the whale is dragging the gear around, it slowly cuts deeper and deeper into the skin, leading to deadly infections, heavy parasite loads, and sometimes completely loss of the limb. There is quite a lot of fishing gear used close to shore, it's not just a deep-water occurrence. And finally, when whales die, they don't sink until much later in the decomposition process. Gases and bloating keep them afloat, which could lead to them washing up many, many, many miles from where they actually died. They absolutely DO die from the complications of the gear.

 

[kenny]

Thanks for all the info Sonnyjane.
It sounds like this is your field.

 

[CJ2008]

Oh my goodness thank you for all that wonderful information sonnyjane.

I love whenever I learn something about how to handle an animal-specific situation - one of my biggest fears is seeing an animal in distress and doing the wrong thing when I think I'm actually helping.

Not that I'll encounter a whale or dolphin any time soon - but having the knowledge is good. You never know when you might use it.

(for example - I read that if you see a turtle crossing the road and you want to help her never reverse her direction...all you're doing is delaying her process - not sure if it disorients them too. So you always want to help them in the same direction they are headed towards).

 

[kenny]

... I read that if you see a turtle crossing the road and you want to help her never reverse her direction...all you're doing is delaying her process - not sure if it disorients them too. So you always want to help them in the same direction they are headed towards).

Even if the road runs along a high cliff?

 

[CJ2008]

... I read that if you see a turtle crossing the road and you want to help her never reverse her direction...all you're doing is delaying her process - not sure if it disorients them too. So you always want to help them in the same direction they are headed towards).

Even if the road runs along a high cliff?

hahahaha no in that case no.

 

[sonnyjane]

Oh my goodness thank you for all that wonderful information sonnyjane.

I love whenever I learn something about how to handle an animal-specific situation - one of my biggest fears is seeing an animal in distress and doing the wrong thing when I think I'm actually helping.

Not that I'll encounter a whale or dolphin any time soon - but having the knowledge is good. You never know when you might use it.

(for example - I read that if you see a turtle crossing the road and you want to help her never reverse her direction...all you're doing is delaying her process - not sure if it disorients them too. So you always want to help them in the same direction they are headed towards).

Ha! I'm a marine biologist, not a herpetologist, so I'll take your word on the turtle crossing. Also if you find a baby bird on the ground, leave it be. It's likely just fledged. Don't try to care for it. That's another important one that many (including my own mom) have messed up.

 

[CJ2008]

Oh my goodness thank you for all that wonderful information sonnyjane.

I love whenever I learn something about how to handle an animal-specific situation - one of my biggest fears is seeing an animal in distress and doing the wrong thing when I think I'm actually helping.

Not that I'll encounter a whale or dolphin any time soon - but having the knowledge is good. You never know when you might use it.

(for example - I read that if you see a turtle crossing the road and you want to help her never reverse her direction...all you're doing is delaying her process - not sure if it disorients them too. So you always want to help them in the same direction they are headed towards).

Ha! I'm a marine biologist, not a herpetologist, so I'll take your word on the turtle crossing. Also if you find a baby bird on the ground, leave it be. It's likely just fledged. Don't try to care for it. That's another important one that many (including my own mom) have messed up.

sonny of COURSE as you said that I now had to go verify what I said about the turtles - would never want to be one passing along inaccurate information especially when it comes to animals.

I was relieved to find statements like this across several different turtle rescue organizations.

http://www.matts-turtles.org/helping-turtles-cross-roads.html/:: "Maintain Direction of Travel. Always move a turtle in the same direction it was traveling when you saw it. Place the turtle at least 30 feet from the road (not on the roadside), so if startled by the experience, the turtle does not get disoriented and accidentally run back into the roadway, or freeze and get run over. Turtles should always be moved across roadways in as direct a line as possible. You might be tempted to "help" the turtle by moving it to a wooded area or water body, but the correct solution is to quickly move the turtle the shortest distance possible."

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/turtles_tortoises/tips/turtle_road.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/:: By all means, help that turtle cross the road in the direction she (or he) was heading,

 

[sonnyjane]

Ha! Appreciate that extra research, CJ. Makes perfect sense.