In light of two deaths this week, Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is bringing attention to important conservation work along the Floridian shores and are asking the public to stay informed on critically endangered species in the area, whose lives may depend on the help of humans.
After reports of a local incident with a shark, crews with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to the shore of Neptune Beach, Florida to attend to a newborn baby sperm whale and its mother who had washed ashore. But the beaching was far from the normal case. Born earlier that day, officials believe that the mother and child may have become stranded after the baby's birth was interrupted by a local shark.
"What may have happened was [that] the mother was giving birth this morning near shore and a shark was in the area" Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson Cheyanne Ruben says. "Witnesses did report to us seeing a commotion where the shark may have been interacting with the adult female."
The mother sustained significant injuries, and though the calf did not, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission made the decision to euthanize both the calf and the mother only hours after its birth. Spokespersons say that the stranding events can often be very stressful for the animals, and though the calf was born in good health its chances of survival without its mother would have been almost impossible.
Marking a rather rare occurrence, as calves are usually born in the Fall and in open ocean, the event that ended in two deaths highlights not only the man-made threats that the species faces, but the natural ones as well. Though numbers in the wild have dwindled on account of whaling and poaching, being one of the most widely affected species on account of harvesting, the remaining sperm whales in the wild also face threats of displaced predators and new terrain on account of human activity as well.
Though conservation efforts have sought to protect the species by banning oil drilling and aquatic echolocation studies, that can interfere with their vocalization and migratory habits, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is asking the general public to take an interest in the species and help them in keeping the wild species wild.
As solitary marine mammals that typically do not do well in captivity, the commission decided that it be in the best interest of these animals for them to be peacefully put down. But they would like to avoid further instances in the future.
