The humpback whale was seen in Southern California by whale watchers.
It seems that an entangled whale is heading towards San Diego. The sea creature appears to be a humpback whale, and unfortunately appears has a buoy or part of fishing equipment tangled around its tail.
The whale watchers from Whale Safari and Captain Dave’s Dolphin spotted the animal last Friday in Southern California very close to Dana Point. Although it doesn’t seem to have caught any fishing gear, it does have a buoy tangled around its tail, most probably by accident.
Since the whale appeared at sunset, it was impossible to track it down and rescue was not possible. However, the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration was notified, as well as other whale watchers in an attempt of keeping an eye on the animal.
As stated by Captain Dave Anderson, the whale is traveling slowly in the direction of San Diego and may even travel to Mexico. Some suggested that this might be the same whale that was spotted a month ago, on October 27, but there is no sure evidence in this perspective. However, me must take into consideration the fact that animals like whales are unpredictable, and this makes it difficult to say where the whale actually is.
People are asked to report in case they catch a glimpse of the humpback whale, but not approach the animal themselves. The case must be handled by people with experience who know how to deal with these kind of situations.
Captain Anderson has previously organized the first group for the disentanglement of the whales and dolphins in 2008 in Orange County. The group recorded an amount of 50 cases of entanglement in 2015.
Many sea creatures get tangled in diverse wires, marine and fishing gear. While they are able to survive in these conditions, they might get seriously hurt in the process. Experts report that almost 1,000 whales and dolphins are dying daily as a result of these accidents.
Whether an entangled whale is heading towards San Diego or another destination, we can’t know for sure. But awareness must be put into light for the marine wildlife which suffers everyday at the hands of the humans, be it garbage left to float in the water, different parts of equipment or pollution.
Image Source: www.pixabay.com
