Gray Whale Migration Update: April 2, 1997

Mike Donellan

The staff at Sea World did an excellent job of trying to save the animal. The whale was treated with antibiotics, fluids and diluted formula fed to her through a tube attached to her stomach. She was so sick that she lost the ability to suck and eat on her own. Every effort was made to keep her alive, but unfortunately, she did not make it.

While I am greatly saddened by this news, I keep reminding myself that this was a natural event. In the scheme of things, about 30% of the calves born in Baja California die before they even leave the lagoons. This one was given the best possible chance and excellent care.

Mike Donellan

More next time... This is Laura Gorodezky signing off.

Laura Gorodezky, Education Coordinator
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
Santa Barbara, California

Baby Whale Found Washed Ashore

"The drama that unfolded on the beach near Stearns Wharf on Thursday afternoon when a baby gray whale washed ashore could not have been better scripted by Steven Speilberg.

"En route from the lagoons of Baja California to Alaska, the 3-week-old calf somehow got separated from her mother off Santa Barbara's main beach.

"For about an hour, the calf circled around searching for her mother. Exhausted and dehydrated, she finally beached herself just south of the wharf at 3:20 p.m. Within minutes, curious beach-goers began gathering around the 15-foot-long mammal. With temperatures reaching 83 degrees, the beach was unusually crowded for the first day of spring.

Mike Donellan

"Every 30 seconds or so, she managed to blow a weak-willed spout.'This is a nursing calf,' said a worried Fred Benko, captain of the Condor whale-watching charter boat, who stood knee-deep in water. 'If it doesn't get milk, it won't survive.'

"Benko learned about the calf's distress from his crew members, who had seen the animal during a whale-watching excursion. They said the mother was nowhere in sight. 'The only hope for this animal is to find a tank for her and have her fed formula,' Benko said. 'Otherwise it will die.'

"Soon, a team of marine officials and volunteers arrived. About 20 people from numerous organizations - Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol, the California Marine Mammal Center and the National Marine Fisheries Service - huddled together. Some officials began making calls on their cellular telephones to places such as San Diego's Sea World, where there are tanks large enough to accommodate the 1.5-ton calf.

"While waiting to see whether a tank was available, people who were holding the whale in place were asked to move her deeper in the water so she could breathe easier. As about a dozen people struggled to push the creature, the scene turned frantic. 'The tide is coming up and it's getting harder and harder to move her,' said Ed Cassano, who had been standing in the water to hold the whale for about two hours. Cassano, manager of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, was one of the first people to notice the whale and summon help.

"The marine officials started rotating volunteers in the water. Local diving stores donated about 20 wetsuits for them to wear. Other people brought towels. 'We don't want them to get hypothermia,' said Krista Fahy, the Museum of National History's assistant curator, who was soaking wet and shivering under the descending sun.

"Suddenly, a man wearing a stethoscope around his neck walked into the ocean wearing nice slacks and patent leather shoes. Dr. Mark Hansen, a Marine Mammal Center volunteer, who had come to examine the calf, said she seemed healthy.

At about 6 p.m, the announcement came - Sea World was interested in taking the calf. That center already was keeping one that had been separated from its mother in California during this migrating season. Until Sea World workers arrived late Thursday to drive her back in a tank on a truck, the volunteer crew moved the whale - which they had spontaneously named Corky - to the harbor, where the water was calm. 'I'm just really glad that everyone pulled together so well,' Fahy said. 'It's good to know that the community is there when we need them.'"

The Next Gray Whale Migration Update Will be Posted on April 16, 1997.