Death of endangered whale foal sparks debate over boat tours in Brazil’s Santa Catarina state

In Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, an endangered right whale calf was found dead on Joaquina Beach on Monday (14).

The cause of death appears to be due to a likely collision with a large vessel, as indicated by extensive head injuries, as per the autopsy results released on Tuesday (15).

Experts, including Dr. Marzia Antonelli and Dr. Cristiane Kolesnikovas from R3 Animal, found significant bruising on the calf’s head, back, and side.

Tissue samples from the whale (Eubalaena australis) have been sent to the R3 Animal laboratory for further analysis.

(Video courtesy Richard Wegrzinovski)

R3 Animal, a monitoring agency that surveys beaches in the Santos basin, collaborates with federal environmental agencies and Petrobras activities in the Santos Basin.

Their role involves the oversight of oil and natural gas production and transport.

Coincidentally, there’s an ongoing legal debate regarding boat tours that offer whale-watching experiences along Santa Catarina’s coast, an area known as a whale nursery.

Activists argue that allowing boat tourism in this Environmentally Protected Area might threaten the already endangered right whale population.

Sea Shepherd Brazil, a conservation organization, urges against the decision to green-light whale-watching boat tours, highlighting that the right whale population is categorized as “Endangered”.

Activist Nathalie Gil from Sea Shepherd Brazil emphasizes the importance of prioritizing the whale’s safety and suggests land-based trails as a more sustainable alternative for observing these majestic creatures.

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