[LANMaster]

The SacBee writer and editor should lose their jobs for oferring up such a poor pun.


At last "over the hump" indeed.

[poochee]

Aiming for the Golden Gate, Delta and Dawn are almost home
By Bobby Caina Calvan and Dorothy Korber - Bee Staff Writers
Last Updated 5:38 pm PDT Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Humpback whales Delta and Dawn are wayward no longer. They are swimming seaward with a purpose, speeding past Angel Island at 4:50 p.m. today and aiming for the Golden Gate.

That fabled portal marks the finish line of their remarkable, two-week saga.

Bernadette Fees, spokeswoman for California State Fish and Game, described the euphoria flooding the whale rescue team as the humpbacks sliced through San Pablo Bay.

When they reach the Golden Gate, she said: "We'll say goodbye - and we'll wish them well."

Sailing in their wake is a flotilla of boats - no longer "herding" the majestic creatures but now escorting them home.

"Everybody's really excited that hopefully these animals are heading out. Everybody's got their fingers crossed," said Jim Oswald, spokesman for the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito.

The whales are moving on their own without any human assistance. The flotilla of vessels tracking them are there primarily to monitor their health and keep them from harm's way from ships and boats in these busy channels.

On Monday, authorities fished out at least two people who jumped into the water to attempt to swim with the whales, and issued verbal warnings to nearly two dozen others on piers and in kayaks. The whale team continues to ask boaters, kayakers and others to respect the 500-yard safety zone around the humpbacks. Idiots!

Before reaching the Pacific, the whales have one more bridge to navigate: the Golden Gate. Oh please swim on!

But the Carquinez Bridge and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge seemed to pose no obstacle to the pair. After some hesitation, they swam beneath its spans while a freight train rumbled by, blowing its horn. There was also a plane overhead and vehicular traffic on the bridge -- plus a gallery of onlookers.

Earlier this morning, there were euphoric shouts from spectators as the calf breeched from the water in a silvery spray - behavior typical of healthy whale young.

Researchers think the antibiotics administered over the weekend are taking effect -- their skin condition is improving with some of the lesions sloughing off.

[ekim68]

Wow, thanks poochee. That's good news..

[ekim68]

Whales are within 10 miles of Golden Gate

SACRAMENTO -- After a wandering two-week voyage up the Sacramento River, a pair of humpback whales steamed purposefully into San Francisco Bay today in what experts hoped would be a last dash to the ocean.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...la-home-center

[poochee]

Originally Posted by ekim68

Whales are within 10 miles of Golden Gate

SACRAMENTO -- After a wandering two-week voyage up the Sacramento River, a pair of humpback whales steamed purposefully into San Francisco Bay today in what experts hoped would be a last dash to the ocean.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...la-home-center

Getting closer..............

[Zaney1]

If this is true then it's great news !
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18867297/

[poochee]

'Operation Humpback' taught lessons on rare whales A Happy Ending!
POSTED: 8:50 a.m. EDT, May 31, 2007
Story Highlights• NEW: Scientists, rescuers ready to declare Operation Humpback a success

• Whales believed to have have reached Pacific Ocean
• Mother and calf first spotted May 12; they got as far as 90 miles inland
• Journey gave scientists unique opportunity to study endangered whales

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Scientists observing the wayward wanderings of two humpback whales in a California river have more to celebrate than their return to the Pacific Ocean.

The duo provided an unexpected opportunity to study the endangered species.

The information scientists gathered includes sound recordings, logs of their behavior and tissue samples from both the mother and calf.

It which will be analyzed to determine whether they come from a pod of whales that travel between Mexico and California. (Watch whales make steady progress down Sacramento River )

"All those things are very hard to get. So what we are doing is filling up the knowledge bank on humpback whales in the wild," said Jim Oswald, a spokesman for the nonprofit Marine Mammal Center, a private scientific and rescue organization.

The experience also could prove helpful in approaching other stranded whales, he said.

After spending more than two weeks trying to coax the whales back to sea with mixed results, officials are ready to declare Operation Humpback a success.

Since the previously conspicuous whales had not been seen for a full day, officials assumed the duo found their way home, undoing a wrong turn that inspired a range of rescue attempts.

The whales, believed to be a mother and calf, were last observed at sunset Tuesday swimming in San Francisco Bay about 10 miles north of the city. A convoy of boats that accompanied the whales across the bay to keep traffic at a distance stopped escorting them when it got dark.

Officials think the whales slipped out of San Francisco Bay to the open sea late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, when no one was watching.

To make sure the whales did not take another wrong turn, two government boats were launched Wednesday morning to look for them in the Pacific Ocean. Rescuers relied on reports from commercial vessels and Coast Guard patrols to determine if the humpbacks still were in the bay.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/30/del....ap/index.html

[ekim68]

That's good news poochee. Thanks.

[izme]

Originally Posted by ekim68

That's good news poochee. Thanks.

I second that

[LANMaster]

I'll go along with that as well. I'm happy they are heading the right direction.

[Bush Lady]

I just heard a story on a local radio program, "Morning North". They were talking about how many Moose and Deer were killed on the road side. This is in the Algonquin Park area up here. It was said that don't drive at night unless you absolutely have too. And if you must drive at night do not go any faster than 70 kilometers per hour. (About 45 miles per hour). So when you meet one of these animals, you at least have a chance to stop.

They mentioned a Tractor-Trail vehicle was completely destroyed because the driver was trying to avoid a moose.

[ekim68]

Overfishing needs to be looked at...

The other day I told you how there's a good chance we could see an end to commercial overfishing subsidies through WTO negotiations. And my organization is not alone in making the case to the World Trade Organization. At least 125 scientists from 27 countries feel the same way and sent a letter to the WTO making it clear that "an ambitious outcome in the ongoing WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations is vital to the future of the world's fisheries."

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/6/1/10524/42591

[poochee]

Originally Posted by ekim68

Overfishing needs to be looked at...

The other day I told you how there's a good chance we could see an end to commercial overfishing subsidies through WTO negotiations. And my organization is not alone in making the case to the World Trade Organization. At least 125 scientists from 27 countries feel the same way and sent a letter to the WTO making it clear that "an ambitious outcome in the ongoing WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations is vital to the future of the world's fisheries."

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/6/1/10524/42591

[Zaney1]

One of the few good things going on in Africa is the various game reserves in many countries. Many are involved in breeding endangered species as well as protecting thousands of acres from poachers. I'm more worried about S. America & parts of Asia. I read that the forest in Cambodia is being threatened.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18989077/

[poochee]

Originally Posted by Bush Lady

I just heard a story on a local radio program, "Morning North". They were talking about how many Moose and Deer were killed on the road side. This is in the Algonquin Park area up here. It was said that don't drive at night unless you absolutely have too. And if you must drive at night do not go any faster than 70 kilometers per hour. (About 45 miles per hour). So when you meet one of these animals, you at least have a chance to stop.

They mentioned a Tractor-Trail vehicle was completely destroyed because the driver was trying to avoid a moose.

Wonder if they have Moose/Deer crossing signs? We do here, plus a lower speed posted.