New peril for gray whale survival? Predatory orcas spotted in Baja calving lagoon
Updated
This year, Mexican gray whales have a whole new set of worries.
The Mexican gray is a species that’s been under threat for years. But the increase in the number of killer whales harassing their calves in Mexico’s Baja California peninsula has resulted in an almost unprecedented level of distress for gray whales in its breeding population.
“It was just really bad this year,” said Sarah Everson, a U.S. Wildlife Service biologist in Baja California.
One of the most terrifying sights on the marine mammal scene in the United States is a gray whale breaching over the sea right in front of a curious tourist as he or she looks down a beach.
And just last week, two Mexican gray whale calves died while being harassed by killer whales off the coast of Baja California.
The killings have raised concerns about the survival of gray whales in Mexico and the world’s largest population of the whales in the western pacific, which was down to just 5,000 animals a decade ago.
But the recent spate of deaths has also sparked a push by marine scientists and conservationists for an international campaign to ban hunting of gray whales.
“Gray whales are very vulnerable, especially in the Baja California peninsula where they’re being hunted more aggressively than they are anywhere else,” said Sarah Everson.
While the marine mammals’ lives are at risk in Mexico, Everson said the conservation effort in the U.S. is far greater.
“We have the opportunity to make this a much bigger and more successful conservation partnership with Mexico given their significant investment and their expertise in the gray whale,” she said.
The Mexican gray is a species that’s been under threat for years. But the increase in the number of killer whales harassing their calves in Mexico’s Baja California peninsula has resulted in an almost unprecedented level of distress for gray whales in its breeding population. “It was just really bad this year,” said Sarah Everson, a U.S. Wildlife Service biologist in Baja California. One of the most terrifying sights on the marine mammal scene in the United States is a gray whale breaching over the sea right in front of a curious tourist as he or she looks down a