Posted by Page (in Amsterdam)
Top photo: a wounded mother humpback whale in the Port of Sacramento. |
Although Sacramento, California is landlocked, back in 1963, construction on a deep-water channel between San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento River was completed, creating the Port of Sacramento. The port is a busy industrial area, with a railcar terminal, facilities to export rice and other grains, and deal with cargo such as fertilizer and cement.
All in all, it’s not a natural – or healthy – place for humpback whales. However, a mother humpback whale and her baby have manage to swim up the 90 mile long channel and into the port area. They have been in the port since about May 16, 2007. Biologists are trying to figure out how to get the whales out, for obvious reasons, not the least of which is:
The 14m female has a long and deep wound on her back in front of her dorsal fin that appeared to have occurred when she surfaced underneath a boat, said Frances Gulland, the Sausalito-based Marine Mammal Centre veterinarian who inspected the animals.
The whale’s 7m calf had a more severe wound on its right flank that may have been inflicted when the animal surfaced alongside its mother.
“The calf’s wound could have a long-term impact on that animal,” said Ms Gulland.
[Note: more current articles specify that a boat propeller probably caused the wounds.]
Biologists are trying to use recorded whale songs to lure the whales back to the ocean. You can see from this map that it’s not an easy or short journey.