Concerns for rare white southern right whale calf born in Fleurieu waters
It might be hard to see, but it’s a sight to behold: a rare light-coloured southern right whale has been born in Encounter Bay waters.
The “white calf” was first officially sighted by whale spotters with its mother last week, but it is hard to see – senior whale spotter Elizabeth Steele-Collins said the pair has stayed “a long way out”.
“The new mother and white calf have not come in close to shore as yet,” she said.
“The pair have mainly been hanging out in the Middleton/Goolwa Beach area and late Monday were seen cruising along towards the Murray Mouth.”
The SA Whale Centre team has consulted with local Ngarrindjeri people to come up with names for the pair; the mother is called Winkulari, meaning "whale", and the calf is Ringkari, meaning "white".
While it is incredibly special for this rare whale calf to have been born locally, there are concerns for its well-being, as it was born late into the season.
Information from the SA Whale Centre team said the young whale still needed considerable growth and had to create a thick layer of fat for protection.
“Although it is exciting, there are concerns for the calf to be able to develop enough to insulate it during the long journey south into the colder sub-Antarctic waters,” the team said in a statement on Monday.
“Therefore we must all be very conscious of not disturbing the mother and calf whilst this process is taking place, they need extra care.”
The team urged anyone in the area to take special care around this pair due to the calf being “quite young and vulnerable” – this includes boaties and aircraft users.
- sawhalecentre.com.au