REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Another grey whale stuck up one of our rivers.

POSTED BY: NIKI2
UPDATED: Thursday, August 4, 2011 10:44
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Thursday, August 4, 2011 9:44 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Quote:

While traveling down the West Coast on HWY 101 just past the Oregon and California border we came across a flood of people on a bridge. Of course we had to stop. But to our surprise, the object of everyone's attention wasn't a school of salmon or even a bear, it was a grey whale trapped in the Klamath River. After getting the skinny from some fellow on lookers, we learned that the whale wasn't alone to begin with. Almost a month ago, this grey whale navigated its way up the Klamath river with it's baby calf. Only a few days prior, the calf abandoned its mother and made the journey back out to the Pacific Ocean leaving the mother all alone circling the 101 bridge. Although she may feel lonesome she is not. There were around a hundred spectators cheering for her to make it back out to the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean. http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-646099?hpt=hp_bn1



(I looked for it on youtube, and had to smile...there are videos all the way down the list for "Klamath whale"...ahhh, the adge of personal video...)

This has happened before. We've periodically has whales of one kind or another get confused and go up rivers, or stick around the Bay. Apparently the river dropped a bit and she can't easily get out. If she doesn't get out immediately, there will be flotillas of boats trying to coax her, brains whirling to figure out ways to save her, Coast Guard getting involved.

I appreciate that people care, but it always makes me shake my head sadly at the amount of resources we pour into saving one whale, in comparison to how that money, time and energy could be spent saving humans.

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Thursday, August 4, 2011 10:17 AM

NEWOLDBROWNCOAT


saw this story over on CNN.com, and I thought, "Whoa! That's right up there in Niki's neighborhood." Then had time for a second thought, which was, " NO,it's really farther north, up by Crescent City somewhere."

I wish the poor beastie luck...

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Thursday, August 4, 2011 10:37 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Well, kinda yes and no. As far as I know, all the whales stuck until now were down here and yes, this is the Klamath up near the Oregon border. But as far as my "neighborhood", I've spent a lot of time up that way, we've camped up there a lot, so it's kind of both my neighborhood and not my neighborhood, if you kow what I mean.

Yeah, my heart goes out to mamma too; I'm glad the baby made it back and I hope she does too. It's just sad. We have whale-watching tours all the time and I've been on an arial whale-watch, and they see them "commuting" down Monterey way twice a year, as we do...greys are kind of thought of as "our" whales in California, as opposed to Humpbacks, which we think of as more Mexican or Hawaiian.

She's not doing so well...sounds like she got stuck back in June, and I spotted this at the end of July:
Quote:

A female gray whale remains stuck in a Northern California river despite scientists' efforts to nudge the 40-ton mammal seaward with unpleasant underwater sounds.

Sarah Wilkin of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association says a rescue team Tuesday played killer whale and alarm sounds through speakers mounted on a boat on the Klamath River.

The team had hoped the sounds would help send the whale back in the direction of the Pacific Ocean a few miles downstream, but to no avail. The mother and her calf wandered into the river in late June.

Wilkin says the calf apparently weaned itself from the mother and returned to the ocean late Saturday.

Scientists are concerned the mother will not find enough food and that her skin will suffer in the freshwater environment.

Yes, her skin WILL suffer (I did a lot of marine mammal rehab and some rescue years ago), and at this point it's doubtful she'll make it back out. She also won't find ANY food, tho' they do fast when preggers, so she'd be okay if she got out.

And there's all that time, effort and money, just as I expected. I'm glad they do things like this, but I wish we cold fnd a way to expand that to efforts at saving humans...and that from an avid animal rights supporter, no less.


Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off



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Thursday, August 4, 2011 10:44 AM

HERO


Quote:

Originally posted by Niki2:
And there's all that time, effort and money, just as I expected. I'm glad they do things like this, but I wish we cold fnd a way to expand that to efforts at saving humans...and that from an avid animal rights supporter, no less.


I say going out and hunting whales for food is wrong, but if they whale is going to all that trouble to get to us...steaks all around!

Whaleburger on a wheat roll with lettuce and tomato...

I'm all in favor of animal rights, which include the right to be eaten by other animals including myself.

H

"Hero. I have come to respect you." "I am forced to agree with Hero here."- Chrisisall, 2009.
"I would rather not ignore your contributions." Niki2, 2010.

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