Puerto Vallarta Forum (PV Bulletin Board)

all about the baby orca Pascuala

http://jessicasoler.blogspot.com/2007_0 ... chive.html

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very good site

chico why must you post such good sites... I will never get anything done..

This blog looks very interesting and there is so much more on it than just about the baby orca..
The photos are wonderful..

Thanks for posting...

daily update on the baby orca Pascuala


http://jessicasoler.blogspot.com/2007_0 ... chive.html

she is communicating
swimming
eating
being a orca

some youtubies of the baby orca Pascuala

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHQOavznNUo

Pascuala Report Updated
Tuesday, May 8th, 2007

from vallarta today

by Eduardo Rincón-Gallardo This past Sunday we could report a positive balance as Pascuala, the recently rescued baby orca whale has stabilized at 175 kg (about 385 lbs). She is being fed a milk-like formula high on fat at a rate of 12 liters (about 4 gallons) a day.
She continues to be very dedicatedly cared for with someone at her side at all times, I saw her being carefully fed with a funnel and a hose, and then Fernando Miranda, the Dolphin Center’s director and founder of Dolphin Assistance Foundation, put on his wet suit and diving gear and went into the water with her. I could tell she was happy to see and feel him join her in the pool as she turned more active. He had her exercise and swim all about, practice diving to the bottom and come back up. “She has no mom, someone has to teach her” he said.

I told him he is earning his share in Mother’s Day upcoming celebration, as Pascuala turned out to be younger than the two weeks estimated when she was stranded; further studies show she was just a few days old back then, so she must be only a month old by now.

So far it appears as she will not be going to San Diego as the Mexican government will not allow her shipment outside the country. It is now a question of where in Mexico she will stay so the proper facilities can be built, taking into consideration she can grow to about 5 to 7 meters (15 to 21 ft).

It also appears that among marine mammals’ specialists the cases of orcas abandoning their firstborn and this baby to be stranded are not that extraordinary. Paradoxically orcas, the largest whales of the dolphin family and top predators of the sea; so dependent on their mother’s milk in this early period of their life, are the whales with the widest diversity of food sources, their diet covering hundreds of species from fish to marine mammals as other whales, sea lions and seals.

update

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4064277a12.html

Our daughter stopped in to see Pascuala this week when she went diving with Vallarta Adventure. We rode our bikes over one morning but they were feeding her so we didn't get to see her. They said their main concern is the whales survival and say Sea World has one of the best reputations in the world in raising Orca's. They would love to keep her they just need someone to spring for a new large enough tank. Anyone have some spare pocket change??

There is a mother humpback and her baby that got off course and swam up the Sacramento River several days ago. Both have injuries from boat propellers but appear to be healthy and swimming normally. They tried to lure them out to the open ocean with recorded signals of other whales but they did not respond. They decided to let them rest for the weekend and are planning to try on Monday to make a barricade of boats to usher them back out of the river, they are about 90 miles inland. They have approximately 3 weeks to get them back into the open ocean before the fresh water of the river starts breaking down their skin.

They said on the news that they are migrating north from the Hawaiian Islands but I can't help but wonder if they aren't actually coming back from Mexico. Makes me wonder if they might be the ones that were injured in PV with the large prop cuts they have observed on the mother. Maybe the trauma from the injuries has something to do with them getting disoriented?

Keep your fingers crossed they can get them back out into the ocean and that they will survive and make it back up north.