Lost whale in Hong Kong a victim of youth and inexperience

Timothy Chui, The Standard 23 Mar 09;

Experts believe the lost humpback whale still trying to find its way out of Hong Kong waters is a youngster of the species and prone to confusion.

The whale - the first of its kind seen in waters off Hong Kong - has lurched from East Lamma Channel last Monday to Po Toi Islands yesterday.

Experts believe that, although this species is capable of covering hundreds of kilometers a day, the 10-meter-long visitor may be a confused juvenile.

According to Ocean Park Conservation Foundation director Suzanne Gendron, the young giant is trying to join other migrating whales.

Gendron, who is also executive director of Ocean Park's zoological operations, said the visitor was initially believed to be an adult, although experts have not been able to get close enough to determine its age and gender.

Leszek Karczmarski, head of the Cetacean Unit of South Africa's University of Pretoria, thinks it is only a sub-adult aged about five years.

He attributed its slow eastward crawl to inexperience and confusion.

He said the territory's unfamiliar shallow waters and sea traffic would have made the creature lose its sense of direction. He added it is too early to tell if it is ill, since wild animals are careful to hide all signs of weakness.

The foundation is asking people to observe the distressed whale from a distance as approaching the creature could increase pressure on it.

Images of the whale's predicament have been sent to US Cetacean bodies to see if they match those taken by marine-life monitors.