Whale Reunites With Rescuers Ten Years Later

treehugger.com:

One morning in November 2000, a large humpback whale was found stranded on a beach near Ubatuba, Brazil, clinging to life in the crashing surf. It didn't take long before a team was assembled of nearly one hundred fishermen, firefighters, biologists, and locals who began working tirelessly to return the struggling animal back to sea -- and after twelve long hours, they were successful. Still, as that whale slipped beneath the waves and out of sight, those volunteers could only hope their efforts were not in vain, knowing full well that the whale's chances of survival were slim. But now, after ten years of guessing, rescuers are finally sure the whale is alive and well -- because they've seen it.

Read the whole story: treehugger.com

Comments

[jadamind]

11:24 AM on 12/14/2010

I find it amazing that when a whale is in linbo, specialists are flown in to set it free, and that
Japan and others so freely kill them. Which one is it, are they precious or are they free to be hunted. Search your heart and soul for the answer, and then speak out against the killing of our most majestic sea mammals, whales and dolphins. Go to SeaShepherd.com and do something,
your voice counts!

[Scott23]

01:11 PM on 11/22/2010

woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LeeCalif]

12:17 AM on 11/22/2010

Wish the Navy would do more about the sonar damage it does to the ocean's inhabitants.

[jadamind]

12:04 PM on 12/14/2010

Stop wishing and write or call them! take the initiative, then post the info on chats like this!

[Gasparilla]

07:04 PM on 11/21/2010

Unfortunately, it rarely works out this way, Glad this did.

[Rosewren]

05:01 PM on 11/21/2010

Why would a story like this be so heavily moderated??

[vinny]

04:15 PM on 11/21/2010

why so many beached whales in brazil?

[Rosewren]

04:58 PM on 11/21/2010

They have found that many dolphins that get beached and die have gone deaf. The same may be true for whales. Without their being able to hear, they can't navigate without their sonar and end up getting lost, not knowing how deep the water is, can't find mates and food etc. The noise in the oceans from shipping, submarines, drilling for oil is greatly amplified for their extremely sensitive hearing and hence they go deaf. To them it is like extremely loud rock music playing 24/7.

[vinny]

05:09 PM on 11/21/2010

in article is said something like 100 whales get beach per year in brazil - if i am remembering correctly... i wonder if they figured out why brazil in particular?

[henrydeluxe]

05:43 PM on 11/21/2010

where's your source for this....? you are assuming that dolphins hear the way we do.

As John Lilly pointed out dolphins scan and receive 3D images back- is not about "hearing". Now, ELF from subs and other low frequency emissions do appear to affect their navigational abilities, which seem affected by all the "noise' under water.

Either way, we humans seem to screw up everything we touch. About time we made some big time corrections.

[tjconkster]

06:30 PM on 11/21/2010

The Amazon River emptying into the ocean, maybe.....a large influx of freshwater mixing with saltwater may throw off their "sonar"....or..maybe there are parasites in the mix of fresh & saltwater.....

[jadamind]

12:02 PM on 12/14/2010

you're joking, right?

[BlackYowe]

02:25 PM on 11/21/2010

I love this story. It is very uplifting.

[edrice222]

02:12 PM on 11/21/2010

I just came from the political section... what a pleasure to read this instead.
Stories like these lift my spirits and give me hope for humanity and all life on this planet. There are those people who care... and do whatever is needed to save, cherish, respect and celebrate life in all it's forms.
This really cheered up my Sunday morning. Much needed reminder of what's it's really all about.

[Florence Baumgartner]

03:21 PM on 11/21/2010

Ditto... :)))

[eyelashviper]

04:35 PM on 11/21/2010

Amazing how animals are more humane than many people...stories like this really are inspiring.

[Matthew Harrold]

12:01 PM on 11/21/2010

It's like lassie...with fins and a blow hole.

[bar1ed]

07:02 PM on 11/19/2010

What a fish story, I love it!

[getoffmedz]

11:39 AM on 11/21/2010

One of the biggest, ever.

; o }