WEST SEATTLE -- A young humpback whale died in shallow water near the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal on Sunday morning, after volunteers and biol...
WEST SEATTLE -- A young humpback whale died in shallow water near the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal on Sunday morning, after volunteers and biologists worked to save the struggling animal.nn“The animal is very, very thin, what we call emaciated, that’s not a normal body shape,” said John Calambokidis, a research biologist with Cascadia Research, who was working with NOAA Fisheries at the scene on a private beach just south of the ferry dock.nnVolunteers poured water over the struggling whale and tried to shield it from the sun with large sheets. By 11 a.m., however, it was clear the humpback would not survive.nn“Poor thing,” said Janice Thomas, one of hundreds of onlookers who peered down on the scene from the ferry terminal.nnBiologists spent hours measuring and examining the whale, while trying to figure out where they could conduct a necropsy and what to do with the carcass.nn“Whenever an animal shows up in Puget Sound, that’s this large, it creates a huge challenge,” Calambokidis said.nnBy August, humpbacks are well into feeding season and “this animal should’ve bulked up much more than this,” Calambokidis said.nnHumpbacks have been making a comeback in recent years, Calambokidis said. Their numbers have rebounded after generations of commercial whale hunting and they are becoming more common in Puget Sound.nn“It’s a beautiful creature. It’s amazing to see it, it’s just sad that this is the outcome,” said one of the volunteers who arrived to help, but could only look on as the tide receded. Less
