Injured Right Whale Calf Spotted Off Georgia

A North Atlantic right whale calf was spotted off Georgia on Jan. 8 with two roughly parallel and S-shaped injuries that experts say were consistent with the propeller of a vessel.

The injuries are concerning because of the severity and location of the wounds. One of the injuries appears to include damage to the calf’s mouth, which could hamper its ability to nurse and feed. Biologists estimate the newborn is just days old and the wounds were perhaps hours old.

The injured right whale calf was last seen Friday afternoon, Jan. 10, 2020 by aerial survey and on-water teams with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Medical experts and biologists spent the weekend reviewing images and video to continue assessments of the injury and prognosis and to determine potential next steps. Based on the images received, the calf’s wounds are worse than originally thought. For example, some of the wounds are to the lip and may not be repairable, leading to impacts on feeding.

The calf’s prognosis was downgraded from “guarded” to “poor.” The current plan is to locate the mother and calf pair, obtain images in order to update our assessment of the calf’s injuries, condition and behavior. Antibiotics may be delivered if warranted.

Right whale mother swimming with her injured calf off the Georgia coast.

This is a huge effort made possible by many experts from partner agencies all over the country. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research, SeaWorld, Blue World Research Institute, and IFAW.