An injured humpback whale who made the harrowing trip from BC’s north coast to Hawaii will likely not be making the trip back.
Photographs taken of the whale near Fin Island, west of Hartley Bay, in September reveal a severe spinal injury, causing a visible kink in her back.
Nicknamed Moon, the female whale is well-known by researchers in BC, who believe she was likely struck by a boat while in northern waters.
Last Thursday, Moon was again photographed off the coast of Maui, Hawaii, more than 4,000 kms from home.
Researchers are unsure of what prompted Moon to make the trip, though humpacks often feed in Canada, then migrate to Hawaii to give birth.
Thousands of kms away from her main food source, and with only the use of her pectoral fins, researchers doubt she will survive a return trip.
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