And Away They Go: Whales' Inland Saga May Be About Over As Reinvigorated Pair Approach Golden Gate B

May 30, 05:53 AM

Current Headlines: By Dorothy Korber and Bobby Caina Calvan, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

May 30--In the end, there was no question of herding them, prodding them, or luring them anyplace. Late Tuesday, the humpback whales Delta and Dawn were just four miles from the Golden Gate -- and they made it there on their own terms.

Wayward no longer, the mother and calf swam the final stretch Tuesday with a purpose, slicing through the choppy water of San Francisco Bay at 5 miles an hour.

At twilight, they were swimming around Tiburon's Paradise Cove, near a development that juts out into the bay and San Quentin State Prison. No one could say if the unpredictable creatures had settled in for the night -- or if they might dive and make a final run for the Pacific.

"At the end of the day, the whales will move when they just want to move," said marine mammal biologist Trevor Spradlin.

Throughout the day, euphoria flooded the whale rescue team as the humpbacks sliced seaward through San Pablo Bay, said Bernadette Fees, spokeswoman for California State Fish and Game.

And, when the pair do swim under the Golden Gate Bridge: "We'll say goodbye," she said, "and we'll wish them well."

California's fabled portal marks the finish line of a remarkable saga.

The mother and calf have meandered through the Sacramento River Delta at least since May 13, Mother's Day. Both were injured, presumably gashed by a boat propeller.

Their plight sparked global interest as they spent days circling the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel near the Port of Sacramento. The channel's turning basin, 90 miles from the Golden Gate, marked the farthest reach of the whales' journey. It was perhaps the farthest any whale had traveled into fresh waters of the lower 48 states, according to researchers.

During their Sacramento sojourn, tens of thousands of spectators crowded along dusty river levees, watching the whales with a mix of wonder and concern.

On May 19, Rolando Perales sat in his folding chair on the levee in West Sacramento and summed up the collective sentiment: "I sure hope they find their way back," he said, "but while they're here, we have to enjoy the view."

On May 20, after delighting crowds for about a week, Delta and Dawn headed downstream -- only to stall for another week near Rio Vista.

Within spouting distance of the Pacific, Delta and Dawn on Tuesday were still at center of scientific musings about why they wandered so far north into the narrows of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

Scientists suggest that perhaps the mother whale sought out the relative safety of the freshwater delta to allow the pair time to rest and heal. But that was just speculation -- as was almost every aspect of the protracted effort to guide them back to the ocean.

But one thing was sure: The humpbacks could not survive for long in this alien environment. They need salt water to thrive -- and even to eat.

A team of scientists and law enforcement has tackled the problem, pulling together people from California Fish and Game, the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Growing desperate last week, the whale rescue team attempted assorted inducements to nudge Delta and Dawn toward home. They beat on pipes, played recordings of humpback songs and predator cries, and hosed them from a fire boat.

On Saturday, the team tried something that had never been done before: They injected the whale and mother with massive doses of antibiotics, hoping to promote healing of their wounds and of the skin blisters caused by exposure to fresh water.

It seemed miraculous. Like a toddler recovering from an ear infection, the whales seemed to respond to the antibiotic overnight. Sunday afternoon, they passed under the Rio Vista Bridge. They traveled downstream about 25 miles, before pausing again near the Benicia Bridge.

After spending most of Memorial Day circling near Benicia, they hit the river with a will on Tuesday morning, sailing past potential impediments without a quiver.

There were euphoric shouts from spectators in Vallejo as the rambunctious calf repeatedly breached from the water in a silvery spray -- behavior typical of healthy whale young.

The whale team had worried that the pair might balk at swimming beneath the massive bridges that stood between them and the Pacific. That fear was erased, however, when mother and calf breezed under the Carquinez Bridge.

After some hesitation, they swam beneath its spans while a freight train rumbled by, blowing its horn. There was also a plane overhead and vehicular traffic on the bridge -- plus a gallery of onlookers.

Later, they approached the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge with equal aplomb.

This 20-day saga has been a virtual treasure trove for researchers seeking to understand whale psychology and physical health. They have been taking still photos, video, and studying the whales' every move from tail lobbing to breaching -- including their sometimes seemingly erratic behavior.

They have also recorded vocalizations by Delta and Dawn and will be analyzing those tapes.

"The movements and conditions of these whales have been well-documented," said Spradlin, a marine mammal biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Department. "We have a wealth of data to look at. The data is going to be an important piece in the puzzle in terms of understanding whale behavior and health."

For the next few months, scientists will compare the recent saga with the one of 22 years ago, when another wayward humpback, dubbed Humphrey, tarried in the Delta.

At this point, there appear to be number of differences between the two situations. Humphrey was a male, alone, and in general good health, while Delta and Dawn are a mother and calf who suffered from wounds.

No one is sure why Humphrey headed out when he did.

Similar questions remain about Delta and Dawn.

One possible explanation for their sudden movement is a reported "bloom" of krill near Half Moon Bay. Krill -- the crustaceans and larvae that constitute the primary food of baleen whales -- could be a powerful motivator for a couple of hungry whales.

Rod McInnis of NOAA is unsure what effect the bloom might have on the whales.

"It's possible," he said, "that they're hearing other humpbacks enjoying lunch and want to join 'em."

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