I was moved to tears by this remarkable story. Anyone who has spent time gazing into the eye of one of these amazing animals has to know the emotional
attachment that seems to happen so quickly. I am speechlessly proud of some of my fellow humans. LancairDriver - 3-8-2015 at 09:50 AM
Very touching account of what can be accomplished by a determined group. Hopefully the young whale will recover to return to Baja many times in the
future, and avoid the Orca ambush going north.
Also hope that she can avoid being hunted by the Makah Indian Tribe in Washington. They are currently making a bid to resume their traditional
cultural whale hunt. The last hunt was in 1999 in which they were towed in their "traditional" canoe by power boat and a 50cal rifle was substituted
for the "traditional" harpoon. Reportedly the young grey whale they killed was wasted as Grey Whale meat isn't consided that edible.vgabndo - 3-8-2015 at 10:58 AM
I have read estimates between 25% and 35% for the number of calves killed by predators annually. I believe the Makah people are asking to harvest 5.
The Gray Whale is no more endangered than a Mule Deer. Killing a whale with a high powered rifle is FAR more humane than bleeding them to death with
harpoons. Here is a little background on Makah history and traditions.
Sweet story... it is a bonding experience to engage with an animal this way and be part of its survival. Gray whales can survive amazing hardships-
calves and adults definitely do get stranded on sandbars in the lagoons at times.
Shari thinks they may do so intentionally, if tired/sick, and in need of rest. We have seen them survive overnight on sandbars at Ojo de Liebre, near
the camp, and near the inlet west of camp.
However, this year, an adult died on a sandbar in Ojo de Liebre- s/he was covered thickly with barnacles. In fact, I think we saw the same whale-
close to our panga- in January.
This is a photo from a person in our group that day, mid-January:
When I returned 1 month later, a whale with very similar barnacle cover was dead on a sandbar....circle of life.
As for "Debra" and her chances for survival- gray whale moms are very smart, and very protective. They earned the name "Devil Fish" when whalers would
target and capture calves to draw the adults closer to their doreys. The mom's (and likely males also) would attack the boats and smash them to bits
with their tails, killing and maiming the men on board to rescue calves.
Hence: "Devil Fish."
I'll join with the thought that "Debra" re-connected with her mom, who was waiting off the beach, and is on her way to a full recovery.
A Whale of a Tale
MrBillM - 3-9-2015 at 09:58 AM
The best bet for the kid's future would be to migrate to the U.S. (SF ?) and claim amnesty based upon
"Orca oppression".
Support would be sure to come from the "Ecos" who assign equal rights to animals.
Who knows ? She might become a lecturer at Berkeley.
Requiring a translator, of course.mulegemichael - 3-9-2015 at 10:35 AM
the entire whale the makahs harvested in 1999 was consumed...and that's a fact!shari - 3-9-2015 at 03:15 PM
wow debra is a lucky calf indeed...too bad the rescuers didnt know how to get her back in the water sooner...there are techniques that work well but
sound like she was OK. There was a mom and calf that spent a long time up the little canal just resting...maybe it was them!
we have been doing alot of deep gazing lately....
[Edited on 3-9-2015 by shari]motoged - 3-9-2015 at 03:35 PM
the entire whale the makahs harvested in 1999 was consumed...and that's a fact!
Yum !!!!
MMc - 3-9-2015 at 03:56 PM
Many years ago, we woke up to a newborn in front of our camp. It was close to the high tide line in a tide pool surrounded by basket ball sized rocks.
We covered it with blankets and kept water on it. We also made the "Whale trail" by clearing away whatever we could between it and the open ocean.
When the next tide came in we pushed it back out to sea. We swam with it for about 10 min. It wound up about 11/2 miles down the beach. Newborns don't
do well with out mothers. I never thought it was going to make it, though many did. Being around it for most of the day made a everlasting memory.
