RR Phantom
Location : Wasted Space Job/hobbies : Cayman Islands Actuary
| Subject: Too many whales in oceans now causing their starvation and beaching Thu May 29, 2014 2:38 am | |
| Malnourished whale mothers giving birth to calves are believed to be the cause of an increased number of stranded whales on West Australian beaches.
A rise in the number of humpback whales beaching themselves along the WA coast led a group of veterinary researchers, working in collaboration with the Department of Parks and Wildlife, to investigate why this was occurring.
Dr Carly Holyoake from Murdoch University said that an unprecedented number of humpback whales, predominantly calves and juveniles, had stranded on the west coast of Australia since 2008.
“Between 1989 and 2007 the mean number of humpback whales ashore was between two and three,” she said.
“In 2008 there were 13 strandings, followed by 46 in 2009 and 16 in 2010.
“In 2011 there were 17 strandings consisting of 14 calves and three juveniles, representing a rise in the number of young whales perishing than in previous years.
“The aim of our project was to find out why this was happening through post-mortem examination.” |
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