Whales On Their Way?

Against all odds, it appears that the wayward whales of West Sacramento may be on their way home:

Whales abruptly leave Port of Sacramento

By Deb Kollars - Sacramento Bee Staff Writer

Published 6:06 pm PDT Sunday, May 20, 2007

The two whales stranded in the Port of Sacramento's turning basin left the lake waters and began swimming southward Sunday afternoon, possibly prompted by two tugboats that left the port to meet a large ship docked downstream.

As of 8:15 p.m. Sunday, the mother and her calf were about 18 miles downstream of the Port's turning basin and continuing southward in the deep water ship channel.

The scientists and animal rescue workers began following the whales in boats in an attempt to herd them downstream.

The scientists had given the animals a day of rest and relaxation Sunday while they planned a rescue effort slated for Tuesday that involved banging on underwater pipes to force the animals southward. Instead, they began placing the pipes on vessels to begin the noisemaking as soon as they could to continue pushing the animals downstream.

Brian Gorman, public information officer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the two tug boats had been berthed at the port. They left at 2 p.m. to meet the 581-foot Sanko Jupiter, a huge ship parked at the Agrium Dock one mile south of the port.

When the tugs crossed into the Deep Water Ship Channel, the two whales started heading the same direction, Gorman said.

"We immediately launched several vessels to follow them," he said. The team of veterinarians, scientists and animal rescuers worried the large Sanko Jupiter would stop the whales in their tracks. To their great relief, the whales kept going.

"They have safely passed the Sanko Jupiter," Gorman said.

Until that point, the whales had been circling the turning basin, continuing to delight the crowds gathered on the levees to watch. Sunday's crowd of onlookers swelled to 10,000, nearly twice the size of the day before, said West Sacramento Police Sgt. Trent Tyler.

As the whales began to head into the shipping channel, the crowd rushed after them.

"They followed them until they ran into a fence," Tyler said of the throngs of onlookers.

He said officers planned to stay at the channel, uncertain whether the whales might turn back. "We're not deciding the chapter is closed," Tyler said.