Body of Suspected Vaquita Found, Activists Say

[rwsanders]

Source: NBC Los Angeles

The environmentalist group Sea Shepherd said Thursday that it found the body of what appeared to be a vaquita porpoise, one of perhaps only 10 that remain in the world.
The group said the remains were too badly decomposed for immediate identification and had been turned over to authorities for further study.
Two Sea Shepherd patrol boats found the animal in a net Tuesday in the Gulf of California, the only place the critically endangered tiny porpoises live. The group patrols the gulf, also known as the Sea of Cortez, removing illegal fishing nets. The vaquitas get caught in nets set illegally for totoaba, a fish whose swim bladder is considered a delicacy in China.
In a report issued earlier this week, an international commission of experts estimated only six to 22 vaquitas remain alive.

Read more: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/vaquita-dead-porpoise-endangered-mexico-507160571.html

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https://seashepherd.org/campaigns/milagro/

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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/49157359@N00/32441588467/in/dateposted-public/" title="the_desert_porpoise_by_namu_the_orca_dbm03nc-pre"><img src="" width="640" height="448" alt="the_desert_porpoise_by_namu_the_orca_dbm03nc-pre"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[ffr]

1. Google images

[rwsanders]

2. Thanks. I haven't figured out how to embed those. But I'll try later, have to be up early.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Here is a vaquita some scientists captured, then released:

https://porpoise.org/2017/10/scientists-successfully-capture-vaquita/


If only the next news we hear on these beautiful, innocent little ones can bring hope. What a shame greed and cruelty can win over life in this world.

We need to hope.

Thank you, rwsanders.

[rwsanders]

5. I read an account of this capture.

It was in this book by Brooke Bessesen. It was truly heartbreaking. Only a few harbor porpoises have been kept in captivity, and none have bred successfully.
They captured this female and a juvenile. She immediately went into distress. They released her, she sped away, turned and sped back toward the boat. They took her again and she died in their arms. The juvenile was released as soon as the female went into distress.

I'm so frustrated with this. I don't know how any nation can be so cavalier about extinction. The vaquita is Mexico's national marine mammal.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1610919319/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Judi Lynn]

8. So very sorry to hear that. She was absolutely precious. n/t

[rwsanders]

6. Such a beautiful animal. She looks so serene, but it tears me up knowing her heart was pounding

out of her body at this point.

They've only been recently known to the world. To lose such beauty so senselessly.

[shenmue]

4. 10.

[Duppers]

7. K & R

[Raine]

9. This is such a sad thing to hear

from 11 to 10 now..

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

10. K&R!

[NurseJackie]

11. Sad and tragic. What a beautiful animal! It's weird that they say "body"...

Sad and tragic. What a beautiful animal!

It's weird that they say "body" instead of "carcass" or "remains". Are they trying to humanize the animal or anthropomorphize it? Or is that the correct term to use according to the Elements of Style guides and/or scientific experts in the field?

[rwsanders]

12. Actually recently more respect has been shown for animals.

Last edited Fri Mar 15, 2019, 10:56 AM - Edit history (1)

In the past scientists unscientifically decided arbitrarily that animals have no emotions and were simply "living machines". Now many are accepting the idea that the emotions exist, but their origins and importance are unknown. And like intelligence, emotions are difficult to quantify and study.
What is known is that many animals pass along behavior through learning and have a "culture" that can differ regionally within a species.
The books "The Emotional Lives of Animals" and "Zoo Story" do a much better job than I at explaining this and are just fun to read.