Earth and all life on it will die one day. But why are whales endangered? And why should we save whales? By doing so we are helping to save the planet that supports us. The article Withering Whales from Walking with the Alligators explains why we must respect the environment while we are here. Neither apathy or ignorance are acceptable excuses.
How many whales are in the world?
Whales are at the top of the food chain, and are vital to the health of the marine environment. But 7 out of the 13 great whale species are endangered or vulnerable.
Blue whales are an endangered species and it is believed no more than 25,000 exist.
The total number of whales is over 75,000 but all areas have not been surveyed yet.
How many whales are killed each year?
According to World Wildlife, an estimated minimum of 300,000 whales and dolphins are killed each year as a result of fisheries bycatch, while others succumb to a myriad of threats including shipping and habitat loss.
Withering Whales abstract
Each day as I watch our local news, I keep hoping that this will all end, but each day, it only gets worse.
When the dolphins, manatees and pelicans were found dead in the Indian River Lagoon, it was blamed on many factors, but many here felt pretty convinced that it was most likely caused by chemical run off and toxins in the water.
So, now that Pilot Whales are being found dead and dying, or missing from their family pods, what is to blame is being asked. The whales that have been found are nearly emaciated, not a very good sign.
It seems likely that there is a great deal more to this tragic mystery that is being seen at present. As the majority of them are on the Gulf Coast, it would be easy to blame this on the BP oil spill years ago.
Much to the dismay of local wildlife officials, the BP mess has had lingering disastrous effects on all of our wildlife and the food that they need to survive.
The fact that these Pilot Whales seem to be seriously underweight, leads us to draw the conclusion that their food sources are either dead or dying or simply toxic and worth little to keep them healthy or well-nourished……………’
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