Spain spotted an injured fin whale venturing near a beach in Cullera near Valencia, and what struck the boat crew that discovered the mammal was its severely deformed back. It remains unknown what caused the injury to the gentle swimming mammal, but responders, the Spanish Civil Guard, and Oceanografic Valencia researchers think a vessel strike brings ite.
The fin whale is still facing this struggle now. Despite disappearing into the open waters, it experiences the hardship of swimming with a broken spine and the important vertebrae it needs for swimming.
Fin Whale with Severely Deformed Back Spotted in Spain
(Photo : Oceanogràfic Valencia Oficial)
According to Oceanografic Valencia, a fin whale was discovered off a beach near Cullera and was immediately visited by the officials and rescue team. The initial goal was to track the whale by attaching a tracking device to its body, but the deformity of its spine, which caused its body to bend unnaturally, became a struggle to fit the tag.
Ultimately, the team could not attach the tag even to its fins, and the whale swam away before they could adequately fit a tracking device.
The team was trying to track the 56-foot-long (17 meters) fin whale it found on March 4 to try and assist it, as its knotted back would cause it to struggle in its swimming and hunting for food underwater. The rescue team of veterinarians and marine biologists from Oceanografic Valencia consider that it might not survive in the wild because of its injury.
Responders think it is a Vessel Strike Injury
Oceanografic Valencia is an aquarium in Spain that also helps in marine research and marine care, and they claimed that the "scoliosis" deformity is evident on the whale. According to Live Science, experts regarded this deformity as a cause of a vessel strike injury or when marine animals collide with ships.
Whale Strikes, Collisions are Common
Animals, may they be roaming in the wild or kept in a closed environment, there should still be an amount of care extended to them, as we, the people, know better as co-existing beings on the planet. Still, it is a joint event when marine animals collide with boats on the water, but apart from the passengers' concerns, there should be a similar worry for the other party.
Considering that it is a common event, it is believed that this is still a fault of humans rather than human-made machines like ship navigation and communication technology. It brings significant confusion to marine animals, especially whales, which is often the reason for their collision with water vessels, getting injured, and being a cause of their demise.
Whales are best known for being the gentle giants of the sea and are mostly harmless to humans venturing out in the open waters. However, while they are avoided when seen, underwater swimming whales may be hit by passing through ships that may receive no damage, as opposed to the marine mammal. In this case of the fin whale in Spain, it is only a matter of time until it affects its survival in the wild.
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