November 15, 2004 at 4:50 pm
· Filed under Uncategorized
The Whale Stewardship Project;
I write to express my deepest condolences and great sadness in responce to Poco’s death. He was a young, unique being who touched the many lives around him and around the world. For those of us who followed the young beluga’s life remotely, it is sadning to see that his journey ended so soon. Animals & Mammals have the ability to touch us and teach us in ways no human can. When they look at you, the ancients look too.
During the summer of 2003, I was a monitor who tended to the young Southern Resident orca, Luna / L98 / Tsux’iit. For reasons we do not know, for the time being he has chosen to live a solitary life in Nootka Sound, just as Poco chose to live a solitary and more exploratory life.
These beings teach us that magic is real, and deliver messages of love and respect. It is up to us to find the meaning of their lives and make it positive to help their future and ours. We do not always have to understand their lives to realize that individuals like Poco leave a legacy behind we will not soon forget.
You will be missed.
With love
Chantelle Tucker
Learn more about Poco and other solitary Belugas - whale stewardship
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BELUGA WHALE FOUND DEAD IN S. PORTLAND
Experts from the University of New England say a beluga whale found dead this morning in South Portland is the same whale that was spotted all along the new england coast this summer.
The whale, nicknamed “Poco”, reportedly beached last night. His body is being taken to an aquarium in Boston where an examination will be done.
Poco became a popular attraction this summer in maine. He was spotted everywhere from Falmouth harbor to the Saco river.
He was a juvenile Beluga–just a couple of years old. Beluga whales are normally found in artic waters. Marine biologists were hoping Poco would find his way back home this winter.
Experts say Poco exhibited behavior that was unusual for Beluga whales. Lucy Keith of the University of New England told NEWS CENTER, “Instead of staying with other beluga whales, which normally stay in groups, he took off on his own to explore the big wide world.”
He loved being around people. This fall he reportedly followed a family in a sailboat all the way from Maine to Provincetown, Massachusetts
story here
Update: Nov 16 2004
SCIENTISTS: POCO DIED OF NATURAL CAUSES
A team of more than a dozen scientists examined the carcass of the Beluga whale that swam around Maine harbors this summer.
The whale, nicknamed “Poco”, beached Sunday night. His body was taken to Woods Hole, Mass., for the necropsy.
Scientists say they found evidence of lung infection, which probably caused Poco’s death.
Poco became a popular attraction this summer in Maine. He was spotted everywhere from Falmouth harbor to the Saco River.
Scientists believe the whale was between three and five years old. Beluga whales are normally found in artic waters, and swim in groups called pods.
Poco was classified as a “solitary social” whale.
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orcagirl wrote @ November 15, 2004 at 11:45 pm
Poco the whale dances with divers
Last Updated Fri, 28 Nov 2003 11:10:42
HALIFAX - Fishers, divers and whale watchers are keeping an eye on a friendly beluga whale swimming in the Bay of Fundy.
Poco: friendly beluga’s curiosity may lead him to danger
The young whale was first sighted in September near an aquaculture site at Pocologan, N.B. Since then, Poco – as he has been nicknamed – has been swimming around commercial divers while they work on salmon pens.
Beluga whales are friendly by nature and they crave interaction with their own kind.
Poco somehow became separated from his pod and he seems to have turned to people to fill the void.
Belugas aren’t usually found in the region, so staff at a Nova Scotia beluga protection group are tracking Poco closely.
“I do encourage people to remember these are wild animals,” says Cathy Kinsman, director of the Whale Stewardship Program.
Cathy Kinsman
“Poco may touch a diver on the shoulder, but I recommend that they stay calm and go on with their work.”
Kinsman fears Poco’s curiosity will lead him to danger, like getting entangled in fishing gear.
Ten years ago, Wilma the whale mysteriously appeared in the province’s Chedabucto Bay. She stayed for six years, swimming around boat propellers while people tried to feed and ride her.
Kinsman says she hopes Poco swims away and joins his pod. She suspects he comes from the St. Lawrence River, although it’s possible he swam down from the Arctic.
She adds their research over the last six years suggests an increase in the number of stray belugas throughout Atlantic Canada.
Kinsman continues to monitor Poco’s movements. He was last reported heading away from western New Brunswick, possibly towards Maine.
Written by CBC News Online staff
Copyright © 2004 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - All Rights Reserved
orcagirl wrote @ November 18, 2004 at 1:12 am
here is another one found today;
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Infectious disease may have killed friendly beluga whale Poco
By From staff reports,
Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
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An infectious disease may have killed a beluga whale that sought the company of humans off the shores of New England, according to marine mammal researchers.
The whale known as Poco was found dead in a marshy mud flat in the Mill Cove area of South Portland on Monday. The body of the young whale was taken to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts for a necropsy. Researchers believe the whale died during the weekend.
The animal’s lymph nodes were larger and wetter than normal, and the tissues around the esophagus were swollen and filled with fluid, possible signs of an infectious disease, according to Dr. Larry Dunn of the Mystic Aquarium, who is leading the researchers examining the carcass.
The type of disease and how the whale may have contracted it were not immediately clear. Researchers hope tissue samples will yield more answers in the coming weeks.
The whale had been feeding and processing food well until a few days before his death, and there were no fresh wounds, Dunn said. A CAT scan showed that Poco’s right ear was malformed, but the researchers do not believe that was the cause of death.
Dunn said there was no evidence that human interaction caused the whale’s death.
Assisting Dunn were experts from the University of New England, the Cape Cod Stranding Network and the New England Aquarium. The New England Aquarium led the effort during the summer to monitor the whale and educate the public about its behavior.
The 660-pound whale, which was just under 8 feet 11 inches long, would follow and rub up against boats, divers and swimmers.
Beluga whales typically live in groups in arctic and subarctic waters. Poco was first spotted in the Bay of Fundy, off the town of Pocologan, New Brunswick, in the fall of 2003.
He was spotted off Gloucester, Mass., in March, and nearly 150 sightings followed, the most recent on Oct. 30 in Saco Bay.
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