A baby humpback whale —megaptera Novaengliae, according to its scientific name – ran aground this Sunday on the shores of Rocha. The Prefecture, NGOs and neighbors are working to rescue the animal, although they warn that “it is not being easy.”
“It is difficult to know what brought this young whale to shore, because to the naked eye there are no injuries,” explained Richard Tesore, from SOS Fauna Marina.one of the NGOs that is maneuvering the animal on the beach, a few meters from the mouth of Laguna de Rocha.
It is a rescue task that will last, at most, until this Monday. But, “not knowing the reason why the whale got there, it is very difficult to know if it will give way with the rising tide, especially if you take into account that there is a large sandbar in front of it.”
It is common for marine fauna that is injured or disoriented to approach the coast. Still, environmentalists warn that “In the last year, perhaps due to marine traffic or fishing, many more cases of large animals have been found stranded.said Treasure.
A month ago, in turn, some 200 pilot whales died after running aground on a beach swept by waves on the west coast of the Australian island of Tasmania, where rescuers were only able to save about thirty specimens.
According to Treasure, “There is no way to know if there are common patterns in all this mortality because in Uruguay no autopsy is done to find out the cause of death of this fauna”.
It is estimated that in the world there are about 80,000 specimens of humpback whales like the one that ran aground this Sunday in Rocha.
