Humpback Whale Rescue in Canada

Latest whale rescue news and a story of a humpback that interacted with the people freeing it from entanglement. What did it mean?

The Campobello Whale Rescue Team (CWRT) has done it again. This time they successfully disentangled what they describe as the worst case they have ever seen. More on this latest rescue can be found on the IFAW Animal Rescue Blog. The news reminded me of a story Mackie Greene of CWRT told me about a situation he had been in.

The boat was 16 feet long, the whale more like 40. CWRT came close to disentangle the young humpback. They shut off the engine to avoid hurting the animal. After they cut away some ropes, the whale began moving the boat around with its nose. The crew held their breath, waiting for the whale to flip the boat over. It didn’t. But it didn’t move away.

The team needed some gear from the support boat to finish the disentanglement. They couldn’t use their engine with the whale circling. The support boat came as close as it could and towed them away. The whale followed but the team still managed to get the tools they needed. Once freed, the whale stayed with the boat. They eventually had to push it away so they could leave.

It’s hard not to be anthropomorphic in this case. Whales are known to be intelligent and humpbacks are highly social. Allowing someone to help them escape entanglement and then staying around to interact would seem to be both a request and a thank you.

Some scientists would find definitions for those actions based on behaviors the humpback whale exhibits in the wild. But, having worked with wildlife for many years, I look at things differently. I have long believed that animals understand a lot more than we give them credit for. And it is time to pay attention when they are trying to communicate.