Curro is still fighting
by firmm Team
Text: Jörn Selling, biologist at firmm
Photos: Philippe Verborgh and firmm
At the beginning of the season Sebastián, Diego, Eduardo and I picked up the boats in Barbate in order to transport them to Tarifa. As everything was prepared we drank a beer at the marina amongst all not to see any injured whales during the coming season. We had had too many during the past summer, and I wished not to go through this again.
So far no bad news as desired, let's hope for the best. However, on the first tour we met Curro, the poor male Pilot whale who the last season almost had been cut in two pieces. We were very happy to see him in pretty good condition. That was on April 6th.
But on April 17th I did not believe my eyes as in a distance of 100 m a Pilot whale appeared with a deep cut at the same position as it had been on Curro. But the dorsal fin of this Pilot whale had tipped to the left side. First we thought we had seen another injured animal because the fin looked smaller than Curro's. Before May 18 we met the Pilot whale another seven times, but since then it has been missing. At least there were enough sightings to realize that this animal must be Curro. The poor creature is still struggling with the injury he received almost one year ago.
We are still wondering what happened, how he received this injury. Did he lay under the propeller of a stationary boat and get injured as the boat started the engine? There is no evidence, but it cannot be excluded that it was yet one of the whale watching boats, as laws are consistently ignored. I deeply wish not to meet other injured animals … there is still hope.