White rhinos, Amur tigers, western gorillas, Sumatran orangutans … This list of species of large animals that adorn our planet and are on the verge of extinction can, unfortunately, be continued for quite some time. Now they have been joined by the northern right whales Eubalaena glacialis.
Specialists from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are sounding the alarm. New data show that 2017 has dealt a heavy blow to the population of one of the rarest marine mammals, the northern right whale. According to officials and scientists, if emergency measures are not taken to rescue these giants, they face inevitable disappearance.
The northern right whale lives in the northwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean. These animals spend winter in temperate latitudes, and in spring they go to the coast of New England and Canada. The number of sea giants has been gradually declining since 2010, but seventeen of the 450 animals have died in the past twelve months. In addition, a period of high mortality coincided with a demographic crisis. Today, there are only one hundred sexually mature females in nature.
Collisions with ships and fishing nets are cited as the main causes of whale deaths. Now, the results of several studies show that the situation is very dire indeed. As reported in an article published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, northern right whales migrate much faster and further than previously thought. This means they can travel outside protected areas in search of food and put their lives in danger.
In another study, the results of which were published in Endangered Species Research, scientists dealt with whale excrement. They found that animals that got entangled in fishing nets, but managed to escape, release hormones for a long time, indicating severe stress. According to scientists, such an increased hormonal background negatively affects the sexual function of whales and does not allow them to reproduce effectively.
“We have to use the word disappear because that's what the trendlines are talking about and we can't let that happen,” says NOAA official John Bullard.
Well, definitely, the problem is outlined, an attempt to stir up public opinion has been made. One of the first steps for researchers and officials will now be to find the safest ways to fish in whale habitats. Also in the near future a new strategy for monitoring the livestock of the species will be developed.
A whale is not even a rhinoceros, the existence of such large animals cannot be maintained under artificial conditions. It remains to be hoped that the efforts of people who are not indifferent to the problem will not be wasted.
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Daria Zagorskaya