Whale of a tale

A 50-ft long, 30 tonne-whale fought a valiant fight to return to its natural environment in the deep waters off La Brea yesterday. In the end a tugboat was used to pull it out to the deep and save its life. The Humpback, described by environmentalists as one of the largest in recorded history to find itself in shallow waters here, found itself up against not only the low tide, but the indiscriminate action of men who sat on its back as it floundered around, further frustrating its efforts to manoeuvre its massive body out of the shallow waters at scenic Almond Beach, La Brea. Two National Security helicopters hovered overhead hoping to lift or drag the whale into deeper waters, but the only result was that the whale became more and more disoriented.

The whale was first sighted on Sunday night by fishermen who tied ropes around its tail and used pirogues to pull it into deep waters but to no avail. Their efforts were no match for the massive marine creature, whose weight was estimated at 66,000 pounds. Helicopters were called in to assist. A veterinary doctor arrived and administered aid to the then very weary animal trapped in the slushy bottom of the shallow water inlet. EMA officials told Newsday the animal’s chance of survival was grim since it not only had to deal with the stress of being trapped in shallow waters and was struggling to breathe, but it may have also suffered injuries from persons who climbed on its back and/or used its back as a diving board into the sea. The Humpback whale, whose scientific name is Megaptera novaeangliae belongs to the animal order Cetacea.

It is found in all the world’s oceans with most populations of Humpback whales following a regular migration route, spending summertime in temperate and polar waters for feeding and wintering in tropical waters for mating and calving. A Humpback newborn whale is between 10-15 feet long at birth and weighs up to one tonne (907 kg). It nurses frequently on the mother’s rich milk which has a 45 to 60 percent fat content. The calf is weaned to solid food when it is about a year old. All whales are Mammals (warm blooded, air-breathing creatures). The weight of an adult Humpback whale’s heart is roughly 430 pounds. Beaching of these and other whales has become an increasing phenomena since the animals rely on sonar (a form of echo-location) to navigate the oceans and communicate with each other.

However, ships emit similar sonar noises which often confuse and/or disorient the animal, causing it to swim and get trapped in shallow waters. Humpback whales breathe air at the surface of the water through two blowholes located near the top of the head. They spout (breathe) about 1-2 times per minute at rest, and 4-8 times per minute after a deep dive. Up to 5.30 pm yesterday, the animal was still trapped in the shallow waters struggling for survival and fishermen resorted to wetting the exposed back of the animal to prevent drying out. When the tugboat arrived, it was pulled to freedom in the deep sea. In October 1999, 26 whales beached on the Manzanilla Beach. Twelve died and were buried in a grave dug by tractors.