News / Science & Technology
Wayward Whales Suffering Skin Damage from Sacramento River Fresh Water
The damage of more than two weeks in fresh water may be taking its toll on the two whales that have become lost in the Sacramento River. Veterinarians who have been following the mother and her calf noticed lesions developing on the animals as a result of being out of their normal habitat.
Fear has risen that if the two don’t make it back to salt water they face a serious possibility of germs infecting their wounds.
On Saturday both whales were injected with antibiotics in hopes of preventing any infections from developing. It was the first time that such measures have been taken to assists a whale from the wild.
There has been a full scale effort to push the whales back down river and into the Pacific since the two were first spotted on May 13. While pipe-banging and recorded whale noises have failed the rest use of fire hoses have nudged the two about 15 miles closer to the ocean. They were approximately 70 miles from the Pacific last week.
Coaxing the humpbacks to the ocean is difficult because scientists fear anything too forceful could frighten the whales and make the situation worse.
