(cfnews13.com)
Whale sedated then disentangled off Cape Canaveral
An endangered right whale, tangled in dozens of feet of rope, was saved due to the efforts of a team using a rare method.
By Greg Pallone, Reporter
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 18, 2011 5:47 PM
VIDEO STORIES
Right whale rescued
CAPE CANAVERAL --
An endangered right whale, tangled in dozens of feet of rope, was saved due to the efforts of a team using a rare method.
The young female whale, who was only about 2 years old, 30 feet long and weighing some 16,000 pounds, had originally been caught in 150 feet of rope when first spotted on Christmas Day by an aerial survey team.
About 100 feet of the rope and wire mesh material -- similar to what is found in fish, crab and lobster traps along the mid-Atlantic, Northeast U.S., and Canadian coasts -- was removed Dec. 30 by teams from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Florida Fish and Wildlife.
But 50 feet of it remained, wrapped through its mouth and flippers.
A satellite tag led teams to the whale off the coast of Cape Canaveral on Jan. 15.
NOAA scientists used a sedation method used only once before -- firing a tranqulizer gun with the drug allowing them to safely approach the animal, disentangle and treat it.
"Once the sedatives kicked in, we were able to approach the animal's head, so much so that we were able to use specially designed knives at the end of poles and cut the lines coming out of both the left and right side of the mouth. Essentially breaking up the remaining part of the entanglement on the animal," said Jamison Smith, the NOAA large whale disentanglement coordinator.
It took about an hour for the seditives to kick in, and they had about two hours to work on the whale.
Scientists treated the wounds with antibotics, and then used drugs to revive her.
Another satellite tag will track it for 30 days. Data will be collected to help with future sedations, as the method is still in its beginning stages.
The first time the sedation method was used took place in March 2009 also off the Florida coast.
North Atlantic Right Whales are endangered and protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Only 300 to 400 of them exist.
Their two greatest threats according to the experts -- vessel strikes and entanglements.
Scientists give this animal about a 50/50 chance at survival -- hoping it can make it back up the Atlantic Coast to better feeding grounds.
0 comments:
Post a Comment