A pair of humpback whales were recently spotted swimming along the banks of the Sacramento River some 90 miles from where they apparently took a wrong turn. The pair a mother and her baby were in route to the Northern waters of the Pacific ocean when something must have diverted them into the Sacramento basin and up the into the port.
With on lookers trying to snag a picture of the whales exploring the river, biologists are now becoming worried about their health. It appears the mother whale came into contact with a boat propeller and now is suffering from several deep cuts that need attention. One of which is estimated to be 2 feet long and 6 inches deep. While it is unknown at this time whether the baby whale is hurt, there are reports of a small injury underneath it. Normally this wouldn’t be such an issue if the mammals were where they should be surrounded by salty water, but the fresh water of the river is doing nothing to help the healing process.
A second major concern is that the animals may tire out before they can make it back. During their hibernation season the humpback whale piles on the extra blubber to use as energy for their massive body’s. Now that the hibernation is over, that layer of protective blubber is going away and soon the whales will need the nourishment the ocean provides.
Harkening back almost twenty-two years ago to when Humphrey the whale also took a wrong turn and ended up near the San Francisco Bay, biologists Thursday were attempting to lure the mother and child back to the ocean by using sounds of other humpbacks feeding. Apparently instead of drawing the mother and child closer to the ocean, the sounds spooked the whales and sent them further up the river.
One reason for the failure is being attributed to the fact that the mother is wounded and not much is know about how the humpback reacts when in this type of situation. Plus Humphrey was just one whale. Combine the fact that there are two and one is injured, you get a situation that may take weeks before success is achieved.
Next up on the drawing board looks to be like an attempt to line the river with large boats and use them as a barrier to push the whales back.
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