A young, 3-year-old humpback whale calf, who’s been named Tutu, could have been killed or maimed late in June when a boater sped overtop of the animal, not noticing it was there.
On Thursday, June 29th, a whale watching tour based out of Campbell River was traversing the waters surrounding Quadra Island when they found Tutu, who was identified by her fluke, the markings on her tail fin.
While observing Tutu breaching the surface in her breath cycle, the tour watched helplessly as a boater sped straight toward the whale.
“We watched in horror (while flagging this boater down repeatedly) as they ignored us and ran over this Humpback Whale named Tutu,” wrote Wild Waterways Adventures in a Facebook post.
“Tutu is only 3-years-old and could have been killed or maimed badly. Tutu was under the surface resting in a breath cycle and she/he heard this boat and took a very fast dive for a Humpback Whale.”
The whale’s quick thinking saved it from being severely injured or even killed, according to the tour company.
Following Wild Waterways Adventures social media post, the community came together in an effort to find out who the boater was and report the incident to the authorities, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
Initially the boat was unidentifiable except by using a picture, but soon after, the boat was recognized nearby on Cortes Island where someone was able to attain the license number and report the boater properly.
Victoria Buzz reached out to the DFO to find out if the incident had been reviewed or followed-up on as well as what kind of repercussions can stem from the near-miss.
As of this publication, no response has been received from the DFO.
“Please educate other boaters that Quadra Island and Campbell River are extremely sensitive habitats for whales and you must proceed with caution,” wrote the tour company in the hopes this kind of incident won’t happen again.
