Where's the baby whale?

U.S. Coast Guard

Baby sperm whale spotted at a Miami Beach marina, was injured, possibly by a boat. 

UPDATE: The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that the orphaned whale was spotted off Pompano Beach again on Friday. A NOAA biologist said this whale tale is not likely to have a happy ending.


UPDATE: The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that the baby whale was spotted off Pompano Beach about 2 p.m. on Thursday.

An injured baby sperm whale that showed up Tuesday at a Miami Beach marina was gone by Wednesday morning, the Miami Herald reports. And it might have been a timely departure.

The hapless fellow had the Coast Guard in a dither, setting up a safety zone and broadcasting information to keep boaters and personal water craft riders from bringing further injury.

A NOAA marine biologist said the creature as pretty close to a newborn, and without its mother. The whale had been given some sedatives, but apparently a marine animal vet was going to put it down.

A strong current may have taken the baby whale back out into Biscayne Bay.

Below is raw video from the Associated Press posted on YouTube.

In Key West, the birds are spared

Fortunately saner heads prevailed in Key West where FAA officials wanted Key West International Airport to start taking potshots at birds that could be a hazard to  aircraft.

The Key West Citizen reports that the feds backed off of their demand after the county airport director pointed out that there are several species of endangered, threatened and rare birds found around the airport, among them, ospreys (above left), eagles, herons, and white-crowned pigeons.

Imagine the reaction of conservation groups if such a knuckleheaded idea had been implemented. More importantly, shooting birds at the airport could have been a hazard to the health of Key Westers. There are residential developments on three sides of the oceanside airport.

Bear necessities

Photo by Jim Phillips | Southwest Florida Water Management District

Don't miss Jeff Klinkenberg's report in the St. Petersburg Times on the status of Florida's bear population, and especially of Jarhead, the young bear that got too greedy as he foraged for food.

Stringing tobacco in Live Oak

Katheryne Pryor, 90, tells her story about growing up in Rixford, a rural sawmill community north of Live Oak in an article in the Suwannee Democrat.

“My mother and father were second cousins,” she said. “Back then, marrying your first cousin was not really considered legal, but it was okay if you married your second cousin. Family intermarried a lot.”

She recalls stringing tobacco as a child to earn her allowance, which she spent on clothes to go to school.