US/ GRAVELY ILL WHALE SPOTTED IN KAUAI: A severely injured humpback whale was spotted by air Monday morning in shallow waters off the Port Allen Airport on Kauai, Hawaii. Officials think that a boat may hit the whale, apparently suffering blunt force trauma and breaking its back. A local flight instructor spotted and photographed the 50 plus foot cetacean, which he continued to observe until about 1:00pm, when it then disappeared beneath the waters. It has not been seen since. A whale rescue expert with the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary on Maui said it was difficult to tell exactly what injury the whale was dealing with. After reviewing the aerial photos, the whale expert said the injury occurred in the whale’s mid-tail stock region, between its dorsal fin and tail. He added that it was light-colored, emaciated and had begun to slough-off skin. It also was surrounded by large numbers of whale lice, all indicators of a whale in poor health. Although the whale is obviously injured, sanctuary staff members won’t be able to put it out of its misery, or likely learn the cause of its wound. First of all, they can’t find it. And secondly, the logistics of getting a humpback whale ashore are less than ideal. There is also no established technique for euthanizing a large whale, which would be the most humane thing to do. The US Coast Guard and NOAA are on standby to assist whale experts should the creature be spotted again.
: A 6 foot blue shark beached herself Sunday on the shoreline fronting Pono Kai, Kauai, giving birth to several pups and drawing a crowd of interested onlookers. The shark and her offspring died during the process. A State of Hawaii aquatic biologist said a quick field necropsy he performed on the pelagic fish pointed at the cause of death being a “hooking mortality.” “It had three or four knife holes in the top of the head that at first glance looked like shark teeth bites but they were not,” he said yesterday. “Someone caught it, didn’t want it and released it". The biologist recommended to fishermen that if they catch a fish they don’t want they should either release it live or give it to someone. Sharks in general are important in Hawai‘i for ecological, cultural and economic reasons, he said.“They are virtually the wolves of the sea where they primarily feed on the sick, the dead and the dying. They keep reef fish and ecosystems healthy".
US/ GIFFORDS SPEAKING: US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, recovering from a gunshot wound to the head sustained January 8, is regaining part of her ability to speak, her spokesman said today. He would not divulge what Giffords has said, other than saying she asked for toast. Giffords is at TIRR Memorial Hermann rehabilitation hospital in Houston. She was moved there late last month from Tucson, Arizona's University Medical Center, where she was taken after the shooting at a "Congress on Your Corner" event at a Tucson supermarket.
US/ TERROR THREAT HIGH IN THE US: The threat of terrorism against the US homeland is in some aspects "at its most heightened state" since the 9/11 attacks, US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said today. "The terrorist threat facing our country has evolved significantly," she told members of Congress. The US faces new threats by groups already inside the country, inspired by al-Qaeda, she said. Napolitano warned that attacks could be carried out with little warning. Al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked individuals have attempted a number of recent attacks against the US, including a Nigerian who tried to blow up an aircraft with explosives hidden in his underwear, and a man who plotted to attack the New York subway.
WORLD/ EGYPT PROTESTS ENTER 16TH DAY: Anti-government protesters in Egypt are continuing their occupation of Cairo's Tahrir Square for a 16th day and have blocked the entrance to parliament. There are reports of strikes and industrial unrest around the country. Egyptian Vice-President Omar Suleiman has warned of the risk of a coup d'etat if constitutional reform efforts fail. The US has called on the Egyptian government to lift its 30-year state of emergency and to stop harassing journalists and activists. Hundreds of protesters are now blocking the entrance to the Egyptian parliament, several blocks away from Tahrir Square. Protesters have also put a display of pictures in Tahir Square of those who have died during the 16 days of protests. Human Rights Watch said at least 298 people have died in the protests since January 28. The Egyptian government has not provided any statistics.
No comments:
Post a Comment