Wayward Whales to Be Left Alone for the Weekend

May 19, 2007 — -- Authorities in Sacramento, Calif., are taking a break from their efforts to rescue two humpback whales that have swum more than 70 miles up the Sacramento River.

"We're giving the whales the weekend off from stimulation to keep stress levels low," said Frances Gullan, a veterinarian with the Marine Mammal Center. "We've been playing sounds and they have not responded."

The rescuers have used audio of whales feeding and socializing, trying to draw the mother and calf back toward the sea. Those efforts will resume on Monday. If they don't work, authorities will move from the carrot to the stick.

"We will get behind her and bang steel pipes under water," said Bernadette Fees, spokesperson for the Department of Fish and Game. "It's not intended to scare to her but to push her out."

The whales are injured, which is adding to their stress. The mother has a gash on her back two feet long and is six inches deep, apparently from a ship's propellor. The injuries are not life threatening, but authorities say they will heal more slowly in fresh water than they would in the ocean.

Although the whales are far from home, there is reason to be hopeful. Another humpback whale nicknamed Humphrey has been rescued twice after swimming into the Sacramento River. He was lured back out to sea in 1985, only to return in 1990. He was rescued that time too, pulled off the mudflat in the delta with the help of a large cargo net.