The tragedy befalling North Atlantic right whales is spiraling out of control. Most recently,
a female right whale was found dead and floating in Virginia's coastal waters.
To make matters worse,
this dead whale had given birth earlier this year -- that calf is now an orphan, and experts say she probably won't survive without her mother.Sign the petition to demand the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) do more to protect right whales!Since 2017, 125 North Atlantic right whales have either died, been seriously injured, or fallen sick, prompting the NOAA to declare an
Unusual Mortality Event (UME). 125 may not seem like a very high number, but it becomes massive when you consider that there are only about 360 North Atlantic right whales alive today.
If right whales continue to die or become sick/injured at this rate, they will be extinct in the next few years. One of the main reasons for right whale deaths -- and the thing that killed this mama whale off the coast of Virginia -- is vessel collisions.
Boats speeding through North Atlantic right whale habitat mow down these docile creatures! Because right whales like to stay close to the coast and feed by slowly skimming the surface of the water, they are incredibly vulnerable to these kinds of collisions. Even with speed limits and protective policies in place,
current laws and enforcement are clearly not enough to stop these poor whales from being killed! Plus, rules protecting right whales haven't been updated since
2008.This is an emergency. There is no destination for these boats that is more important than the very existence of an entire species of whales.
We need to demand justice for this dead whale, for the ones that died before her, and for her sweet baby -- who is, at this very moment, struggling to survive without her mother.Sign the petition to demand the NOAA do whatever it takes to slow down boats -- we need stricter laws, better enforcement, and a total prioritization of wildlife over human activity!"North Atlantic Right Whale" by lauren.packard is licensed under CC BY 2.0.