New wounded pilot whales in the Strait of Gibraltar

Text: Luisa Listmann, Pictures: firmm

A downside to the strong shipping traffic in the Strait of Gibraltar is the wounds which some of the animals have to suffer from. Again and again we find newly wounded animals on our trips, the most frequent cases being pilot whales. Among these injuries are scrapes, cuts on the fins or even open wounds on the body. Compared to the previous years, this year (especially during the second half of the season) we observed more animals with new wounds. Following is a series of pictures that show several pilot whales we’ve seen during this season:

 

 

It’s unsettling to see that, in the meantime, so many animals have been injured and that we always hope that they will recover. Will we meet them again during the next year? How large is the dark figure of the injured that die and are transported to the Mediterranean by the dominant surface sea current of the Strait, where they then sink to the Ocean floor?