NOOOOOOOOO They euthanized the baby humpback

[underseasurveyor]

goddamn fucking bastards.. they didn't have to kill that baby whale, it could have been saved.
i'm so sorry little one:cry:

http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/5929775/Conservationists-to-put-baby-whale-to-sleep

[glowing]

1. Ahh, that's sad.. and if we can all work so hard to try and feed a whale,

perhaps, we may try and feed all the hungry people world wide.

[leftchick]

5. perhaps

if the USA did not spend more than every nation combined on 'defense', we would be able to feed the hungry.

[underseasurveyor]

9. We all have our favorite causes and niches

doesn't mean we don't care about others.

[glowing]

14. I do beleive its sad.. I have a degree in Marine Science.. this kinda stuff

sucks.. and you wish you could do more.. and then when you put life in perspective.. we have so many human mouths that are worthy of food and we could absolutely feed them.

[The Stranger]

21. The thread was about shooting the animal.

If you can't feed the hungry, are you going to shoot them?

[tammywammy]

36. They didn't "shoot" the whale

They gave him an overdose of anesthetic.

http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/08/22/Colin_the_baby_humpback_to_be_put_down_this_morning

[babylonsister]

2. No, I don't think it could have been saved; the whale was too big

for them to feed it from what I've heard. This was humane, sad as it is.

[underseasurveyor]

8. It was only two weeks old

and small enough to move to a marine facility. Seaworld of San Diego took in a baby gray a few years back, JJ, and she was sick and starving. They kept her and fed her until she was getting to large for her pool. They tagged her, loaded her on a semi, trucked her to a ship where they then took her out and released her into the pacific ocean.

My boyfriend has been a marine biologist for over thirty years, he started The Whale Rescue Unit back in the 90's, albeit more for saving migrating whales tangled in nets, and he agrees that this baby whale could have been saved very easily.

[babylonsister]

13. For whatever reason, they could not save the whale. The story was

profiled on the news recently. The person being interviewed had been trying to find another whale to adopt the baby because they said he/she was too big for humans to take care of, but too little to fend for itself. I'm just repeating what I heard. Maybe they were too far out at sea, maybe AUS doesn't have facilities like that available, I don't know. But I assure you, these people didn't euthanize the baby just because they wanted to or because it was expedient.

[underseasurveyor]

15. Whales don't operate that way

as a rule they will not take on an orphan baby, they should have known that at least.

And I didn't mean to be so harsh on the biologists, i know what they did was hard, i was pissed and it just popped out that way.

All marine creatures, large and small are extremely close to my heart but when it comes to cetaceans I am especially passionate.

[Shakespeare]

22. Humpbacks nurse for about 8 months.

I'm heartbroken to see it euthanized, but there really wasn't a way for them to feed it (not to mention that the nutrients in whales' milk is difficult if not impossible to replicate sufficiently).

I also understand that the whale was sick and injured. Very sad, but probably the most humane thing to do. :cry:

[TwilightGardener]

3. Poor thing, scared, motherless and starving. Just breaks the heart.

[Raskolnik]

4. I think those goddamn fucking bastards

were the same people that were doing everything within their power to save the baby whale, and based their decision on not wanting the poor thing to slowly starve to death while being nibbled by predators.

[babylonsister]

12. Yes, thank you. nt

[ladjf]

37. The human race "death machine" blunders on in its arrogant way.

[Codeine]

41. WTF?

It was the compassionate thing to do. You'd rather it starved? They simply were not equipped to save the little guy.

[ladjf]

49. I wasn't clear in my meaning. What I presumed was that some

humans were probably involved in one way or another with the loss of the calf's mother. In so far as the euthanizing was concerned, it was probably the best thing to do. There's a lot more to raising and animal like that than simply providing nourishment even if that had been possible.

[Codeine]

50. Unfortunately,

it appears the little bugger just got abandoned. It happens. :(

[ladjf]

52. We'll never know.

[Xithras]

6. It was the humane thing to do.

It was starving to death and they couldn't get it to go back out to sea to find a whale pod. Realistically, the options were to euthanize it or to watch it starve to death. I think they chose the better option.

[Ganja Ninja]

53. I agree.

I think people need to put their squeamishness aside and think of the animal and how it would suffer a lingering death. It's not a pleasant alternative but it was the right thing to do.

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. Just exactly HOW could it have been saved?

It was a baby Humpback, not a Dolphin or an Orca.

Large whales like that have never done well in captivity, not to mention the fact that it is a highly social creature that had no family.

Those "goddamn fucking bastards" you refer to were, I am quite sure, competent, caring and deeply committed Marine Biologists who did the right thing, as difficult a decision as it was.

I can't imagine ANYONE took any glee in that dreadful but necessary task.

[enlightenment]

10. Yes, please share HOW they could have saved it.

It is very sad - but would you have preferred that they just let it starve to death? Use a little common sense.

[Graybeard]

11. It would have been eaten alive by sharks.

In it's weakened state it would have suffered terribly. I think the decision was right.

[ullad]

16. What do you expect them to do?

They have tried to help the calf, but she kept returning to the same spot trying to nurse from a boat. The calf was suffering.

[anakie]

17. the latest

WILDLIFE authorities have found the baby whale abandoned off Sydney and are expected to put it down today.

The injured baby humpback whale affectionately called "Colin" was found motherless and starving in a northern Sydney waterway earlier this week.

A meeting of National Parks and Wildlife Service NSW (NPWS) workers, scientists and representatives of other agencies last night decided to put down the calf to end his suffering after its condition took a drastic turn for the worse.

The NPWS last night was unable to find the whale, which unexpectedly appeared on Sunday in The Basin, inside Sydney's Pittwater, and returned on Tuesday after being towed out to sea.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24222701-12377,00.html


I am sorry you think we are fucking bastards but what would you do comrade. They have tried to get it back to sea and seem to have thought of just about everything to save the calf. But the animal is sick and dying, and a quick death is better than a lingering one. It is sad, but thats life.

There are many more stories on the plight of the calf at this link

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/thenation/nsw/

[underseasurveyor]

19. oh geebus criminy

i don't really think you're bastards. excuse me and i'm sorry if i offended you.. i was pissed off.

shit there's no wiggle room anymore for being human.

[Codeine]

43. Wiggle room?

You condemned a group of peple who did fifty-five billion times more for the little guy than anyone here, and finally, with heavy hearts, ended its suffering.

That's not "wiggle room, it's just awful. Shame.

[underseasurveyor]

46. What no wiggle room to be falable and human on my part?

Excuse me but if you read through the thread you'll notice where I admit to knee jerk misdirected anger. And also if you you read through the thread you'd see hat I know exactly what marine biologists are all about... So pardon me for being human!

[EFerrari]

20. Very sad. But if there was the political will, there would have been

a plan, too.

I don't fault you at all but I do fault all of us collectively for not doing better with the tech we have.

[underseasurveyor]

18. Yes it's impossible to save baby whales

http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/gray-whale/update-01-20-1997-a.htm

http://www.cnn.com/EARTH/9803/23/gray.whale/index.html

http://whale.wheelock.edu/archives/info98/0129.html

http://home.centurytel.net/Arkcite/whalep9.htm


It's not impossible it can be done.

[underseasurveyor]

23. And THIS naysayers is how one at least tries.

" What Heyning found was a 20-foot fin whale with no parent in sight. “It was very emaciated,” he said. “We’re not sure whether it got separated and couldn’t feed, or just was a weak animal that couldn’t keep up with its mother.”

Over the next three hours, Heyning and an army of more than 20 volunteers used a huge net and pulleys to lift the 2-ton whale onto a flatbed truck owned by the museum. It was transferred to another truck supplied by SeaWorld for the trip to the marine park.

The plan, Heyning said, was to keep the whale wrapped in wet blankets all the way down. “Its only hope for survival was to get it to SeaWorld,” he said. “It was a very skinny animal. It wasn’t in good shape. Six years ago, we had one that lived.”

http://articles.latimes.com/2003/nov/21/local/me-whale21

[Shakespeare]

24. The headline of your link is "Rescued Whale Dies on its way to Seaworld"

Perhaps the trial and error of past attempts have shown them that making the attempt isn't always the most humane choice.

[underseasurveyor]

26. But they TRIED

as they more often than not do out here in California.

See I knew someone would focus on the whale dying part of that story. But the point is they tried. and for those that were asking how and oh it's too big? That's how it's done. Lots of caring people, ropes, nets, trucks and the willingness to get off of ones duff and do something rather than make some half-ass attempt to do something you know won't work.

I also volunteer at a marine mammal rescue place. I know seals, sea lions and elephant seals aren't nearly as large as a whale but these people do some amazing things with these sick and injured creatures and they are extremely dedicated. And elephant seals ain't so little or easy to handle either, but we do it.

[Shakespeare]

29. Sometimes trying is inhumane.

And that is my point. If you're really that involved in marine mammal rescue, then I don't think YOU honestly believe that these marine biologists are heartless OR lazy.

I live in California, btw, and am very aware of the marine mammal rehab done out here.

[underseasurveyor]

32. I know marine biologists aren't heartless or lazy

First let me say i was pissed and i didn't really mean "they" were bastards, assholes, etc. misplaced anger.. kneejerk on my part.. (geez people are too sensitive sometimes)

Second the man I adore most IS a marine biologist of over thirty years and I know he is the most wonderful, caring, loving human being I've ever known.

Third he is also the hardest working man i know, and has dedicated his life to marine environments and marine life and does so around the world not just in the US.

So yes I am aware

[lonestarnot]

35. So which is it? Impossible or possible?

Did you wash your possible today? These are sad fuckers who like death. They could have saved that whale!

[underseasurveyor]

38. I was being uber-sarcastic

:evilgrin:

[Sanctified]

25. Think of the bright side, they could have sold it to a Japanese fishing company. n/t

[underseasurveyor]

27. Know what?

That simple statement.. believe it or nor... did make me feel better.

weird I know but hey, what ever works right:toast:

[MiniMe]

28. I thought that I had read that it had been attacked by something, perhaps a shark

Then I heard that he disapearred before they did the euthanasia. Haven't heard anything about it for a while, but sometimes its the kindest thing.

[rug]

30. McCain will find a way to work this into an ad.

[mitchum]

33. Protector Of Whales

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

31. They're Not Fucking Bastards And They Did Everything They Could.

Your outrage is misdirected and silly.

It's quite sad that they had to do that, but it was the humane and RIGHT thing to do. Lashing out at them for not succeeding in saving it, though they rallied together and cared tremendously for it, makes you look a bit ignorant.

[alarimer]

34. No, it could NOT have been saved.

There are few facilities big enough for a baby Humpback. These animals grow to 45 feet at least. At birth they are about 15 feet. It is far too difficult to transport them and it would likely have died then. And then of course they would have to come up with the right formula for it. I doubt any humpbacks have been bottle-fed anywhere in the world.

At some point, we need to stop being emotional about this and start being hard-headed about reality. There are limited resources to help these animals. Better off not spending thousands on a lost cause. We'd be a lot better off if we focused on population-level threats and stopped worrying overly much about any individual.

[underseasurveyor]

39. The day I stop being emotional about something I'm passionate about

will be the day I die.

And how can one know something can not be saved until someone tries? Successes can only be achieved through trial and error and learning from them.

[Codeine]

45. There were no facilities in that area big enough.

It couldn't be saved. Believe it or not, the folks who busted their asses as much as they could are as passionate about cetaceans as you are. If it could have been saved it would be alive.

[1]

40. something i only learned by having a farm...

you want all living things to survive.

sometimes its not possible...

[underseasurveyor]

42. You

are an inspiration and light.

Thank You for that:hug:

[1]

44. thank you...

because it is so wrong for any living thing to starve to death. i have seen it too much.

that is the hardest way to die.

:hug:

[underseasurveyor]

47. I know I've seen it too

but it just seemed to me they really didn't do all that they could have on behalf of this baby whale. Maybe they didn't have the facilities to care for it, that I can understand but knowing whales and what is possible.. as far as the reports I've read, they could have done more..IMHO. Trying to lead it back to the open ocean was doomed to fail and anyone that knows cetaceans would know that.

If it simply came down to they 'couldn't'.. I'm ok with that.

[1]

48. i know. but then i know nothing about baby whales...

where that baby whale was? what the situation was? what it takes to make that baby whale live?

i can sleep tonight because i know that whale experts made decisions based on information i was not privy to.

at some point you have to trust that those that could have saved that life would have. i know they are not awful people. and if they could have they would have.

i get crap for this kind of thinking all of the time. trusting in the decisions of those on the scene to do the right thing.

but i don't think whale people want a baby whale to die. i know i wouldn't. i would think they would do anything to make that baby live if it were possible.

and if not, i understand their decision.


i love the whale. what a beautiful creature...

[tannybogus]

51. I don't know what to believe. This sounded awful.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24222924-29277,00.html

I know that every animal can't be saved. Euthanasia may have been the best path.
Then I read this and wondered all over again. This sounded awful,and if it was
this bad, couldn't another way have been found?
Everybody is saying so many different things to validate their opinions that I
don't know what to say except it's just sad.