Wart still entangled

As is reported on our AdoptRightWhales website, Wart was recently entangled. Here is an update on her status.

Wart was seen entangled off Cape Cod Bay just over a year ago, March 6, 2008. On March 15 a disentanglement team from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies were able to shorten one of the trailing lines that looped through her mouth, exiting on both sides and trailing behind her, but the rope remained in her mouth. There were no other sightings of Wart until February 25, 2009, when she was again found in Cape Cod Bay. The line is still through her mouth. Often with simple entanglements such as this, the rope will work its way out of the baleen but with over 300 long, stiff plates of baleen in the mouth of each right whale, rope can be held firmly in place and work up to the top of the plate where the plate enters the gum line. This an hold it in place unless there is some drag on the rope to help tug it out of the mouth.

We are keeping our fingers crossed that the rope will eventually work its way out and will not adversely affect her. She will continue to be monitored by the disentanglement network.