We are only days into the new year and are already faced with tragic news – a weeks-old North Atlantic right whale calf has been struck and fatally injured by a vessel. Again.
Mother “Juno” and her newborn calf were the cause of much excitement when they were spotted off Georgetown, South Carolina, last November, as they were the first mother-calf pair sighted during the calving season. Scientists noted that it was a hopeful sign for the species that a calf was born so early in the calving season, reminding us that they are the “future of the population.”
But that optimism ended on January 3rd, when members of the public found the young calf off Edisto, South Carolina, with several deep propeller wounds on its head, mouth, and left lip consistent with a vessel strike. These injuries may impact the calf’s ability to nurse successfully. After reviewing the case,…