Not every encounter between humans and animals turns out badly. Yesterday, marine biologists from California's SEA WORLD, helped save a stranded whale.
Here is the full story, from KTLA-TV:
DANA POINT -- An emaciated gray whale who swam into the Dana Point Harbor is heading back to the open ocean, thanks to some help from marine biologists.
The older, 35-to-40-foot whale first made its way inside the breakwater around noon Monday and stayed in the harbor area for three days, showing signs of distress.
Marine biologists, including a team from Sea World in San Diego, successfully removed 100 pounds of fish net and rope that was wrapped around the whale's tail Wednesday. Once the net was removed, biologists say the whale's condition began to improve.
The whale, nicknamed "Free Lilly," appeared to be heading back into the open ocean, early Wednesday afternoon. Biologists are hopeful she will continue to migrate north.
The whale, estimated to weigh about 30 tons, was believed to be about 60 years old, and may have been close to death, experts say. However, now that the whale's condition improved so dramatically, they hope she will make a full recovery.
An estimated 10,000 gray whales have been making their annual migration from the warm waters of Baja California, where they spend the winter, to their feeding grounds in Alaska and the Arctic.
"We don't expect to see northbound gray whales after the end of April," Tom Sullivan of the of the Ocean Institute. "This is a little late. This is a straggler."
Sullivan said whales who wander into the harbor are usually infants who lose their way. Whales in the harbor are a danger to boats, and boats are a danger to whales.
Copyright © 2010, KTLA-TV, Los Angeles
To watch video of the report, click here:
Marine Biologists Help Save Whale
Score: Whale: 1 Humans: 1
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