A humpback whale with a broken back has somehow migrated over 3,000 miles from feeding grounds in British Columbia to breeding grounds in Hawaii, despite not being able to use her tail to propel her through the water. Scientists are marveling at her tenacity and hope her plight can serve as a cautionary tale to mariners.
The drones of BC Whales, a nonprofit whale-research organization in British Columbia, spotted a lone injured female humpback whale traveling past the Fin Island Research Station in Gitga’at Territory toward warmer waters on Sept. 7. The whale was sighted with an S-shaped “blunt force” injury to her spine, running from her dorsal fin to her fluke, likely caused by a boat strike. However, her full “tragic story” came to light only months later, the organization said in a press release.
On Dec. 1, the Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF) documented the same adult female humpback whale with a paralyzed tail off the coast of Maui, Hawaii, and later shared heartbreaking aerial footage on Facebook. She was emaciated and covered in lice. They identified the whale as Moon (BCX1232), who has been well-known to BC Whales for a decade.
Owing to her massive injuries, the experts were shocked to see her reemerge in Maui two months later.
(Courtesy of Bcwhales.org)
(Courtesy of Bcwhales.org)
Researchers had been delighted to see Moon with a calf in 2020, teaching the youngster how to migrate by navigating the waters off the west coast of Canada. But while miraculous, Moon’s 2022 migration will be her last.
“The harrowing images of her twisted body stirred us all. She was likely in considerable pain, yet she migrated thousands of miles without being able to propel herself with her tail. Her journey left her completely emaciated and covered in whale lice as testament to her severely depreciated condition,” BC Whales said in a press release.
“We have known Moon for many years, often seen in the late fall around the feeding grounds of northern BC. In her current condition, she will not survive to make the return journey.”
Janie Wray, BC Whales CEO and lead researcher, told The Guardian: “It was one of those ‘oh my God’ moments when we learned it was Moon. Without the use of her tail, she was literally doing the breaststroke to make that migration. It’s absolutely amazing, but also it just breaks your heart.”
This is the stark reality of a vessel strike, BC Whales said, urging boaters to follow the “see a blow, go slow” motto on sailing routes that overlap with whale habitats. The organization also advocates for “slow-down zones” in whale hotspots to discourage boaters from speeding and putting the lives of these gentle giants at risk.
Her 3,000-mile marathon against the odds speaks to the immense suffering that whales can endure for the sake of their deeply-embedded instincts and culture, the organization said.
“We will never truly understand the strength it took for Moon to take on what is regrettably her last journey, but it is on us to respect such tenacity within another species and recognize that vessel strikes lead to a devastating end,” BC Whales said in a statement.