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Vancouver (AP) - It wasn't a pretty sight, but whale watchers on a cruise ship in Canada got more than they bargained for when they arrived at the port of Vancouver -- a dead whale stuck to the bow.
The vessel apparently struck the 70-ton fin whale in the ocean and unknowingly carried it wedged to the bow from Alaskan waters to the Canadian port. The adult whale was an estimated 70 feet (21 meters) long.
The Princess Cruise Lines' Sapphire Princess was docked at the Canada Place terminal Saturday with the whale stuck to it.
"Basically like a train coming through, it just hits them. That bow is kind of like a spear. And once they're hit by it, it probably breaks their back, kills them almost instantly," Craig Delahunt of Tymac Launch Service told AP Television News.
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There's still time to make up for this terrible tragedy. Maybe next time the ship comes into port, it will have a Greenpeace vessel stuck to the bow.
Vancouver (AP) - It wasn't a pretty sight, but whale watchers on a cruise ship in Canada got more than they bargained for when they arrived at the port of Vancouver -- a dead whale stuck to the bow.
The vessel apparently struck the 70-ton fin whale in the ocean and unknowingly carried it wedged to the bow from Alaskan waters to the Canadian port. The adult whale was an estimated 70 feet (21 meters) long.
The Princess Cruise Lines' Sapphire Princess was docked at the Canada Place terminal Saturday with the whale stuck to it.
"Basically like a train coming through, it just hits them. That bow is kind of like a spear. And once they're hit by it, it probably breaks their back, kills them almost instantly," Craig Delahunt of Tymac Launch Service told AP Television News.
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There's still time to make up for this terrible tragedy. Maybe next time the ship comes into port, it will have a Greenpeace vessel stuck to the bow.
Um...stupid comment? I'm not saying...just asking...
They need to regulate these ships better. They get too close, disturb the whales nursery and feeding grounds, then tragedies like this happen.
I agree that they need to regulate those ships better.
There are smaller, more environmentally responsible cruises available, and their boats can get into interesting places that the big ships can't. They cost a little bit more but guess what--they also employ American workers instead of overseas labor, and pay U.S. portage fees.
To be completely fair, though, the chances are very good that the animal was already dead when it encountered the ship. This particular type of whale is a fast and agile swimmer.
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