Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
B958oFiCEAIM5Yq
Picture of the humpback whale in Oosterschelde (Picture: Twitter/@mamaesther71) - Credit: Picture of the humpback whale in Oosterschelde (Picture: Twitter/@mamaesther71)
Nature
Weird
barrier
estuary
flood defence
humpback whale
Jaap van der Hiele
Kattendijke
North Sea
obstacle
Oosterschelde
rescue operation
SOS Dolfijn
Wemeldinge
whale
Yerseke
Zeeland
Zeeland bridge
First Aid for Marine Mammals
Monday, 16 February 2015 - 17:34
Share this:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • reddit

Rescue posb. for humpback whale spotted off Dutch coast

A large whale was seen swimming in the Oosterschelde estuary on Saturday by a nature spotter standing near the top of a bridge in Zeeland. Experts say it is most likely a humpback whale.

It is very rare that such whales are spotted in Oosterschelde, says Jaap van der Hiele, the spokesperson for First Aid for Marine Mammals (Eerste Hulp bij Zeezoogdieren). "It used to be more common when Oosterschelde was still open, but now the flood defense barrier is a major obstacle," states van der Hiele. If the whale cannot find its way back to the North Sea it will likely die, he says, citing the lack of a a sustainable food source in the estuary for the mammal. First Aid for Marine Mammals is consulting with SOS Dolfijn and government agencies about a possible rescue operation. "I do not know what we can do, but we certainly can not leave the animal to its fate. In any case, we will try something," says the spokesperson. The animal was spotted several times near Kattendijke, Wemeldinge and Yerseke, which means it is going the wrong direction and not headed out to sea, the spokesperson states.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07H7GLxAPrM#t=33

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • Court orders artist Tinkebell to retract accusation that former MP assaulted a woman
  • Woman gives birth on the A12 near Utrecht during rush hour
  • Two schools win Rotterdam Architecture Prize for 2023
  • ChatGPT helping criminals make explosives, commit cybercrime: report
  • Dutch soldiers arrested on cocaine charges in Newcastle
  • Dutch child among six stabbed in random attack on playground in Annecy, France

Top stories

  • Dutch child among six stabbed in random attack on playground in Annecy, France
  • Night train to Amsterdam, Hamburg evacuated after fire breaks out in Austria tunnel
  • Netherlands residents much more worried about their financial position
  • Dutch banks lower economic growth predictions after first quarter contraction
  • Investigators find €80 million in cocaine at Dutch ports
  • Appeal denied: Joran van der Sloot temporarily extradited to U.S. tomorrow

© 2012-2023, NL Times, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Partner content