Scientists have given an antibiotic shot to a badly injured newborn whale they have been tracking off the coasts of Georgia and Florida, hoping to improve what experts said were tough odds for the endangered animal. A crew of trained specialists got close enough to the injured right whale calf and its mother on Wednesday to inject it using a syringe fired from an air gun, said Barb Zoodsma, who oversees the right whale recovery programme in the south-east US for the National Marine Fisheries Service. Photographs of the injured calf revealed grievous cuts to its mouth and the top of the head near its blowhole, probably made by a boat propeller. However, scientists monitoring the newborn whale say the damage to its mouth may impair its ability to feed, making long-term survival unlikely. Right whale deaths have outpaced births in recent years, raising concern among researchers about the species’ prospects for survival.

Source: Irish Independent January 16, 2020 21:56 UTC