Featured Image Credit: Great Escape Charter Company
A mother humpback whale and her calf have opted to skip their annual migration to Antarctica and decided to stay close to the reefs at Rowley Shoals.
Officials fear that the pair may be starving to death.
Previously, a snorkeler shared some incredible video near Rowley Shoals’ Mermaid Reef when the humpback whale and her calf approached the charter vessel. Kylie Bartle is the general manager of the Great Escape Charter Company and she commented that the encounter was “The most amazing thing that we’ve seen ever were two humpback whales at Mermaid Reef.”
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From Ms. Bartle’s experience, it is unusual for humpback whales to come and interact with the boat, but it was an amazing experience for their guests. The encounter was deemed “okay” by Parks Australia.
Throughout November, the charter company took 5 trips to Mermaid Reef. Major concern comes into play because the whales are choosing not to leave the comfort of the reef instead of feeding in Antarctica.
So what’s stopping the whales from leaving the reef? They can swim out at any time and they are definitely not trapped according to Bartle. Apparently, the whales actually follow the charter boat out of the reef, but then they hesitate and ultimately turn around and go back into the lagoon.
The best theory the Great Escape Charter operator can come up with is that the humpback whale and her calf may have sought refuge from killer whales which are known to feed on humpback calves on other parts of the West Australian coast.
Kylie Bartle commented, “We have seen orcas out at the Rowley Shoals on a few different occasions over the last 20 years, and that’s one of the predators that will hassle mothers and calves.”
Professor Lars Bejder of Murdoch University agrees, “Some kind of fear response could have produced the unusual situation.”
“She only eats in Antarctica and at the same time, as soon as she gives birth to the calf, the calf starts suckling on the mum, so the calf is sucking out all the energy and the fat content of the mum,” Dr Bejder said. It is estimated that the mother humpback will lose one centimeter every two days because of the energy and fat required to feed her calf.
Ms. Bartle has reported signs that the mother whale’s health is deteriorating, “We think she’s starting to look a bit thin, and when she rolls over and smashes her pec fin on the water, we can see that the white part of her pec fin is starting to look a little bit sunburnt, it’s looking a bit pink rather than white,” she said.
Not much can be done for the humpback whales other than hoping they work up the courage to swim out of the lagoon. It’s bound to be feeding time soon and they’ll make their way further south.
We’re hoping the humpback whales get a Christmas miracle.