Witnesses: Woman climbed on back of distressed baby humpback whale
About 100 people gathered to see the sad sight, with some pushing the whale back into the water. In the commotion, witnesses say they captured some shocking and disturbing behavior on camera. A baby humpback whale was spotted trying to beach itself on Waikiki, Hawaii, without its mother. Witnesses reported seeing a woman climb on the back of the distressed whale and holding onto it. The NOAA spokesperson confirmed that there is currently no sign of the baby whale. The incident was captured on camera and witnesses hope the woman will face consequences for her actions. The baby whale was only a few weeks old and was still dependent on its mother when it was spotted. Ocean safety teams arrived on jet skis to guide the calf back to the ocean.
Published : 4 months ago by Annalisa Burgos in Science
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A NOAA spokesperson says there is no sign of the baby humpback whale that tried to beach itself on Waikiki Wednesday afternoon.
Around 4 p.m. yesterday, NOAA received calls that a humpback calf was seen on the beach near Fort de Russey Park without its mother.
Witnesses say the calf was first spotted by beachgoers trying to beach itself near the Hale Koa resort.
About 100 people gathered to see the sad sight, with some pushing the whale back into the water. In the commotion, witnesses say they captured some shocking and disturbing behavior on camera.
“Rather than helping she went out into the water and jumped on his back and was holding on to it while it was trying to clearly in distress, and she was holding on to it for a ride. So that just compounded how awful this situation was,” said Melissa Clark, who was visiting from Canada. “It would be nice to see something that would help give education to people that are visiting in case it happens again.”
NOAA estimates the baby humpback whale was only a few weeks old and still dependent on its mother.
“It was hard to know whether she didn’t hear it or didn’t care, you know, a lot of commotion, but she didn’t respond after a lot of prompts to stop,” said Melanie Obrigkeit, a visitor from Michigan.
Obrigkeit called Marine Protection Services to report the incident. Ocean safety teams arrived on jet skis to help guide the calf back to the ocean.
Clark and Obrigkeit hope that by sharing the story, people will be more mindful when encountering wildlife in distress.
”It’s hard to punish without the education first because people can plead ignorance and a lot of times there’s a lot of people that don’t know any better that come to the islands,” Obrigkeit said.
Witnesses submitted a complaint to NOAA law enforcement and hope the woman in the video faces consequences for her actions.
NOAA urges folks not to approach wildlife in distress or risk fines for harassing wildlife. To report violations, you’re asked to email [email protected] or call the hotline at 888-256-9840.
Topics: Wildlife