Lost baby whale thinks yacht is mom

Decent · #31 08-21-2008, 11:57 AM

Couldnt they get like a big ballon of milk and attach it to the yacht or something like that but a little more technical.

witchofthedogs · #32 08-21-2008, 12:00 PM

Py actually said it best in her earlier post - there just isn't enough formula (remember, these animals don't drink cow's milk) nor a way to sufficiently deliver it in order to maintain its necessary growth rate. Certainly not in the wild and not in captivity for an animal that size. It's not like raising a dolphin, or even an orca. These animals become massive.

Decent · #33 08-21-2008, 12:09 PM

Australian officials to euthanize baby whale

In this photo released by NSW Parks and Wildlife, a lost humpback whale calf...

6 hours ago
Loading... Must Read?Thank YouYes70

SYDNEY, Australia — An abandoned baby whale that has been attempting to suckle boats in the waters off north Sydney will be euthanized because it is in such poor condition, an environmental official said Thursday.

Veterinarians and marine researchers who spent the afternoon examining the whale found that it would likely not live through the night, said Sally Barnes, deputy director-general of the New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change.

"The calf was in much worse condition than they originally thought and the injuries were a lot worse than they thought as well, probably from a shark attack," she said. "We have taken the hard decision to put it down, unfortunately."

The plight of the whale, which Australians have nicknamed "Colin," has dominated news coverage here since it was first sighted Sunday and began trying to suckle from boats it apparently mistook for its mother.

"Our hearts are breaking with what's happening with baby Colin," New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma said. "It's looking bleak, but every effort is being made."

One effort came from Aboriginal whale whisperer Bunna Lawrie, who visited the calf Thursday afternoon. Adorned with feathers on his head and white paint markings on his face, Lawrie reached into the water to stroke Colin while singing a humming, tongue-rolling tune.

But after a few minutes the whale swam away to nuzzle a nearby yacht.

"He's missing the big fellas," said Lawrie, whose visit was broadcast on Channel 10 television.

The decision to euthanize the whale prompted a strong protest from a rescue group that designed a feeding apparatus intended to provide milk to the ailing calf.

"You said you'd give us a 24-hour stay of execution!" Brett Devine, a member of Devine Marine Group, shouted as environmental officials tried to calm him.

Some Australians have accused wildlife officials of not doing enough to help the calf or trying to feed it.

Previous attempts to guide the whale back to open waters have failed, with the creature preferring to stick close to the boats. Officials with the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service were considering earlier Thursday whether to use an inflatable sling to tow the creature into deeper waters, where it has a better chance of connecting with other whales.

But in the end, there simply was no other option, a grim-looking Barnes said.

"This is certainly not what we would have hoped. We would have hoped that the animal would have been OK," Barnes said. "It's a very emotional thing."

As darkness fell, wildlife officials and veterinarians huddled in a private meeting to work out the logistics of the whale's fate.

They planned to sedate the animal, tow it to shore, and inject a dose of fatal drugs into its heart.

Science News - Australian officials to euthanize baby whale

Why cant they sedate it and tow it to whales???

Rusty · #34 08-21-2008, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by witchofthedogs

Py actually said it best in her earlier post - there just isn't enough formula (remember, these animals don't drink cow's milk) nor a way to sufficiently deliver it in order to maintain its necessary growth rate. Certainly not in the wild and not in captivity for an animal that size. It's not like raising a dolphin, or even an orca. These animals become massive.

Yes it will be massive but we're talking no more than a day to git 'r done. No captivity - just getting it out to an active pod.

It's going to be euthanized anyway. Rusty's not a happy camper.

witchofthedogs · #35 08-21-2008, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Veterinarians and marine researchers who spent the afternoon examining the whale found that it would likely not live through the night, said Sally Barnes, deputy director-general of the New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change.

"The calf was in much worse condition than they originally thought and the injuries were a lot worse than they thought as well, probably from a shark attack," she said. "We have taken the hard decision to put it down, unfortunately."

If this is the case, towing it, will more than likely kill it (sedated or not) and getting it to an active pod will, in no way, guarantee survival. It's not a healthy baby, it's an injured and dying baby and mother's milk is probably not going to save it from injuries sustained from a shark attack.

It's not just starving, it's dying from serious injuries. How will putting it with an active whale pod do anything but prolong the length of time it takes to die?

I hate to point this out, but this happens all the time to young animals in the wild. I'm not trying to be condescending, but this is how nature works. This time, we see it on the television because the baby happens to be in a populated area, but this isn't something new. This whale is dying, according to that article, - regardless of what anyone does for it.

Do I think they shouldn't try? If there is no logical chance of success and sedating, towing, and re-locating the whale will do nothing but stress an already confused and dying animal, then no, I don't think they should do so.

If that makes me incredibly cold-hearted, so be it. But I have no urge to see a dying animal, particularly one who certainly cannot understand what is happening to it, suffer even more.

Jessica · #36 08-21-2008, 12:44 PM

I agree with you, Witchy. As I mentioned before, nature operates on a survival of the fittest basis. I hate to say it, but this calf was probably abandoned by its mother because of its severe injuries. The mother likely recognized that no amount of time and energy she could devote would cure her calf, and so she moved on to serve another role in the pod.

__________________
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
--Eleanor Roosevelt

Kid Lester · #37 08-21-2008, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by witchofthedogs

If that makes me incredibly cold-hearted, so be it.

You froze my computer, Ice Queen

witchofthedogs · #38 08-21-2008, 12:58 PM

And let me be perfectly clear - I hate to see this happen. I hate to see any animal die, period.

But I also understand that this is a necessary part of how life works, particularly in the wild. We are unused to seeing this and that is why so many people's hearts are broken by this story. In our modern world, we don't have to see nature work as it should. We don't see the baby deer in the woods that surround us get killed by any number of predators or diseases. We can think that the bunnies in our yard are cute and silly without having to come face to face with what kills them on a daily basis (and I'm not talking road-kill, I'm talking natural predators). We don't even notice, for the most part, the hawks that prey on small rodents all around our neighborhoods and surrounding areas.

We don't have to - we've built a world in which these things are put out of mind because they are generally out of sight.

But that's what happens in the wild. It is a natural part of how the earth works and how the life cycle works and damn, it sucks to see it in this case because that poor baby is lonely and confused and hurt and dying and we all want to help him, but there is nothing at this point that will do so.

And if he were out in the ocean, he'd still be lonely and confused and dying, we just wouldn't see it spread all over the pages of CNN and MSNBC and no-one, at that point, would be screaming for someone to save him.

Rusty · #39 08-21-2008, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by witchofthedogs

If this is the case, towing it, will more than likely kill it (sedated or not) and getting it to an active pod will, in no way, guarantee survival. It's not a healthy baby, it's an injured and dying baby and mother's milk is probably not going to save it from injuries sustained from a shark attack.

It's not just starving, it's dying from serious injuries. How will putting it with an active whale pod do anything but prolong the length of time it takes to die?

I hate to point this out, but this happens all the time to young animals in the wild. I'm not trying to be condescending, but this is how nature works. This time, we see it on the television because the baby happens to be in a populated area, but this isn't something new. This whale is dying, according to that article, - regardless of what anyone does for it.

Do I think they shouldn't try? If there is no logical chance of success and sedating, towing, and re-locating the whale will do nothing but stress an already confused and dying animal, then no, I don't think they should do so.

If that makes me incredibly cold-hearted, so be it. But I have no urge to see a dying animal, particularly one who certainly cannot understand what is happening to it, suffer even more.

I agree - I had to adjust my thinking from all of yesterday's posts to include the new information that it is fatally hurt in addition to starving. I considered that it might something like that too... I leave the future of the little whale to the experts. I don't understand what took them so long (and with so much pain for the baby) to figure things out.

I remain an unhappy camper over the whole situation. And, yes, witchy, you come across as condescending sometimes but I don't take it personally. No offense.

DEMOA · #40 08-21-2008, 01:18 PM

This is one of those lose-lose situations. I think we have become a society that NEEDS to fix everything and make sure it's alright and safe. It's a sad reality when something can't be fixed....like in this case.

__________________

"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier." ~ Mother Theresa
Mother of two....one that runs and one that ^soars^.

Lost baby whale thinks yacht is mom

Nature and Environment