Save The Whales...Literally

I don't know if you have seen this video but you must. It will give you hope that yes, in the David and Goliath-like sense of the world these days, we oft (seemingly) puny and impotent human beings can actually DO something to make a difference. Yes, yes we can.

I have a friend from college who is pals with the guy who did this... I get lazy about clicking play but I did it with this and really, you must too. It will bring tears to your eyes and cause your heart to feel like it is literally swelling with love and wonder.

The folks you will see, who happen to have co-founded the Great Whale Conservancy, find a young female humpback whale while in the Sea of Cortez. She appeared to be dead. Her dorsal and 2 pectoral fins had been trapped by impossibly tangled fishing nets. The nets weighed her down as far as 15 feet deep and she was fading fast. Who knows how long these had been on her, keeping her from feeding, and tiring her (she probably initially struggled, in vain, to get free)!

These few people, in a small rowboat, have the courage swim out to the whale and check out the situation, then balance in this boat for about an hour, tirelessly cutting with a small knife (all they had on board apparently) until they freed the whale.

They then watched for a solid hour as the whale jumped and slapped around in the water with what can only be described as pure joy. And, it happened on Valentines Day.

Please pass this around and please please visit their Great Whale Conservancy website at www.eii.org/gwc/ and LIKE their Facebook page, to join them in helping to save these magnificent beings. More info below the video.

The Great Whale Conservancy (GWC) is a joint program of two premier projects of the Earth Island Institute: the International Marine Mammal Project and the Campaign to Safeguard America’s Waters. To help, please contact Michael Fishbach at IMMP (828) 675-9387, fishdeya@gmail.com, or Gershon Cohen Ph.D. at CSAW (907) 766-3005,gershon@aptalaska.net.