New orca calf seen among Puget Sound's critically endangered killer whales

January 14, 2019 by Lynda V. Mapes

A new calf has been born to the critically endangered southern resident killer whales, researchers confirmed.

The calf was born to L77, said Ken Balcomb, founding director of the Center for Whale Research. He confirmed the birth in a text to The Seattle Times Friday. He estimated the calf is several weeks old.

Center staff first saw the calf Friday morning at the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

"It's great news," Balcomb said, adding the calf looks healthy.

It is the first known birth to the southern residents since Tahlequah, or J35, gave birth to a calf in July that lived only a half-hour.

Tahlequah drew worldwide attention when she carried the dead infant for 17 days and more than 1,000 miles, refusing to let it go.

Any birth in the southern resident population is big news because the orcas that frequent Puget Sound in the J, K and L pods are critically endangered. There are only 74 left, with three whales lost last year.

The center also was observing K25 Friday, a southern resident whale known to be in poor body condition. If conditions allow, the center is attempting to get an update on that whale's status.

K25 is doing poorly after the death of his mother K13 in 2017. Mother orcas preferentially feed their sons and K25 has been getting thinner and thinner—so thin that Balcomb has said he is concerned he may not last the summer.

J17, Tahlequah's mother, is also so thin as to cause similar concern.

Read more at: 

Right whale calf, mother spotted in Atlantic off Florida

December 29, 2018

Florida conservationists are reporting a right whale calf sighting off the state's Atlantic coast.

In a Facebook post , the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute said it's the first calf sighting of the critically endangered whale's winter calving season.

Wildlife officials said the calf and its mother were spotted Friday offshore near the mouth of the St. Johns River. The commission said the mother had been spotted five days ago off the Georgia coast.

Right whales typically migrate from the North Atlantic to give birth off the coasts of Georgia and Florida from December through March.

Scientists estimate only about 450 North Atlantic right whales remain. No newborns were reported during the last calving season, and just five calves were counted during the previous year.

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First IVF bison calf joins wild herd

Reproductive technology has implications for conservation efforts

Date:  March 26, 2018

Source:  Colorado State University

Summary:

Eight bison -- four calves and their mothers -- were released in mid-March on public lands in northern Colorado. A 10-month-old calf known as IVF 1 was among the newcomers.

And then there were... 44. Eight bison -- four calves and their mothers -- were released in mid-March on public lands in northern Colorado, bringing the total number of animals in the Laramie Foothills Bison Conservation Herd to 44.

A 10-month-old calf known as IVF 1 was among the newcomers. She is the first bison calf conceived using in vitro fertilization, or IVF, at Colorado State University.

Jennifer Barfield, a reproductive physiologist with the CSU Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory, was beaming with pride as she described the landmark moment.

"It's a really good feeling to see a herd grow and to know that the animals from our research are going to have a real impact, not only in our herd but as we produce animals in this herd and help support other conservation herds," she said.

Continued  

Orca Calf Dies at SeaWorld: Why Killer Whales Get Sick in Captivity

By Tracy Staedter, Live Science Contributor | July 27, 2017 06:15pm ET

A 3-month-old orca calf named Kyara died this past weekend, possibly from pneumonia, at SeaWorld San Antonio. This isn't the first occasion of a killer whale dying in captivity.

Dozens of other captive killer whales, including the SeaWorld orca named Tilikum, who was made famous in the documentary "Blackfish," have also died from bacterial infections.

According to SeaWorld’s press statement, Kyara's death, which is still being investigated, was not the result of living in captivity. But some experts in marine mammal research say that the living conditions contribute to disease.

Read on 

Whale calf seen pushing stranded mother off sandbank

7 October 2016

A humpback whale which was stranded on an Australian sandbank has freed itself after its calf was seen apparently nudging it into deeper water.

The whale was spotted near North Stradbroke Island, about 80km (50 miles) east of Brisbane, early on Wednesday morning.

Her distressed calf was later seen apparently pushing her as she splashed in the water to get free.

About 40 minutes after getting stuck, the whale was able to dislodge herself.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services (QPWS) personnel were despatched to help the pair and planned to stabilise them until a team from Sea World, further along the coast, could arrive to help free them.

But incoming tides and the efforts of the young whale helped the mother get off the sandbank before they arrived. Image copyright QPWS Image caption The pair are also believed to have been stranded nearby overnight, before becoming stuck again

"The whale was able to free itself and the adult and the calf were able to swim away," a spokesperson for QPWS told the BBC, adding that they successfully helped the pair out through shallow waters to the open sea.

"The mother was a bit tired and distressed". Image copyright QPWS Image caption QPWS followed the pair to help them make it to deep water and avoid "restranding"

Whales are common at this time of year on the Queensland coast, where many go to give birth and begin rearing their calves before heading back to Antarctic waters.

 

Source and watch video

Rewilding campaign celebrates a newly born calf in Croatia

The organisation Rewilding Europe is celebrating the birth of a calf to a herd of Boskarin cattle in the Velebit Mountains in Croatia.

Petar Knezevic of the Rewilding Velebit team has been taking care of the herd and helping them get used to a new environment. This includes helping them readjust to the wild and rediscover their wild instincts, including learning how to successfully defend themselves against wolves.

"In the late afternoon the Boskarin cow left the herd and came to us looking a bit unwell and drained, moving very slowly. After a couple of hours we went to check on her and I saw the little bull which was trying to stand up on his shaky back legs," he said.

"The birth was a very special and proud moment for all of us.” 

Continued ...

Humpback whale calf dies in shark net on Sydney beach

A spokeswoman from marine rescue group ORRCA said the group was called to Mona Vale beach around 7am (AEDT) on Tuesday. ORRCA vice-president Shona Lorigan said the whale was dead when NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service officers arrived around 10am (AEDT).

The parks and wildlife service will now determine how to remove the whale.

The calf's mother had been swimming nearby, responding to the baby's distress calls.

Humane Society International spokeswoman Alexia Wellbelove said shark nets were "indiscriminate killers" of marine life and provided no real protection for humans. She said it was the first whale entanglement in NSW this year but urged more research into other possible shark deterrence methods.

"This is a tragedy that we don't want to see repeated," she said. "We're getting a growing number of entanglements each year." Lorigan said dolphins and turtles also became entangled in shark nets.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/oct/22/humpback-whale-calf-dies-in-shark-net-on-sydney-beach

Refloated dolphin seen with a calf a year on.

Refloated dolphin confirmed with calf a year later - Courtesy of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group

July 2013. A bottlenose dolphin that live-stranded in North Kerry and was refloated in June 2012, and was subsequently photographed from dolphin tour boats in the Shannon Estuary, has now been sighted at least three times this year, and each time with a calf. Remarkably, this means that the dolphin was about 9 months pregnant when she stranded last year.

Refloating stranded cetaceans

There is occasionally some debate about the effectiveness of refloating stranded dolphins (and whales) as it is sometimes thought that they strand for a reason, usually that they are ill. Refloated whales often restrand shortly afterwards. However the experience with this dolphin shows that it is absolutely worthwhile making the effort. This dolphin is one of a small population that live in and around the Shannon Estuary, and her genes have now been passed on to the next generation. 

Stranded in Co Kerry

The female bottlenose dolphin live-stranded at Béal, Co. Kerry, on the shores of the Shannon Estuary, on 1 June 2012. The 3.5m female bottlenose dolphin was lying on the sand about 10m from the waterline, but appeared to be in perfect condition and had no signs of injury. She didn't seem in a very distressed state despite her predicament and her skin was still moist, but she was starting to overheat.

Continued

Baby Beluga Whale Is … a Girl!

A baby beluga whale born at the end of August is starting to shed its slate-colored skin for the more mature creamy-white covering, and the baby is a "she," aquarium staff have just announced.

The ever-growing calf, now 5 feet (1.5 meters) long, will make her public debut Friday (Oct. 26) at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Both mom and baby are plumping up, as the calf weighs about 205 pounds (93 kilograms) and is steadily packing on 12 to 15 pounds a week. Her 1,200-pound mom Mauyak has nearly tripled her normal diet — downing up to 88 pounds (40 kg) of fish daily — to accommodate a hungry, nursing calf.

"In just two months, the calf has gained weight and reached significant milestones, including bonding with mom, nursing and meeting all of the other belugas," Ken Ramirez, Shedd's executive vice president of animal care and training, said in a statement.

Read on:  http://www.livescience.com/24235-baby-beluga-whale-girl.html

Six-legged calf wins Swiss hearts

Seven-week-old cow with two extra limbs doing well despite vet's predictions that she would not survive.

A six-legged calf has defied the odds by thriving despite a vet's prediction at birth that it would not survive.

Seven-week-old Lilli is a minor celebrity in her native Switzerland after local media were splashed with images of the calf frolicking in a sunny field.

Farmer Andreas Knutti from Weissenburg, 19 miles south of the capital, Bern, says he couldn't bring himself to euthanise the animal because she was "so full of life".

He told Swiss daily Blick on Thursday that a curve in her spine means that Lilli may never become a normal milk cow.

But Knutti says that if the calf stays healthy she will still be allowed to join the others when they head for alpine pastures this summer.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/29/six-legged-cow-switzerland

Purple Calf is finally born

The calf, almost purple in color, born in Jezdina village on Jelica mountain near Cacak city, grows well regardless of its unusual skin color.