Tweet
Beluga
Three of these sea mammals have been hanging out in Narragansett Bay for the past few days. Quite a few people were viewing them today from land and sea, but at a distance. Mystic Aquarium had folks here today monitoring their health. This clip was taken Saturday.
WTNH) It is not something you see every day. Three Beluga whales in Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay.
That’s why researchers from Mystic Aquarium have gone to the Ocean State to check it out.
Video shot by David DeSalvo captures the whales as they swim off of Jamestown Rhode Island.
Once Newport Buzz posted the video word spread to the Beluga experts at Mystic Aquarium.
“Belugas are native to the Arctic so this is not considered part of their natural habitat,” says Mystic Aquarium Veterinarian Dr. Allison Tuttle.
Although she also says in the past decade there have been some sightings outside the Belugas’ natural habitat like the one spotted in the Taunton River last summer.
Researchers from the aquarium are attempting to categorize the Belugas’ behaviors and how they look.
“Body condition whether or not they have any types of entanglements or gear,” says Dr. Tuttle.
They spotted the whales off of Warwick RI today and can only speculate as to why the whales are so far from home.
“We do know that this time of year compared to other years that the water’s been colder as well as there’s been a large early influx of the squid population so there appears to be abundant food for them,” says Dr. Tuttle. “Whether or not that has anything to do with why they’re here remains to be determined.”
While it may be tempting folks should not try to get up close and personal with these whales.
“People need to keep a really safe distance,” explains Dr. Tuttle. “They should stay hundreds of yards away from the animals but they can appreciate them from a distance. If they do see them we would appreciate a call to our animal rescue program hotline which they can reach through the Mystic Aquarium switchboard.”
If you miss seeing the Belugas in the wild of course you can always go to Mystic Aquarium to see them.
You can also get an up close look during a Beluga Encounter program where you can actually touch and help feed the whales.
WTNH) It is not something you see every day. Three Beluga whales in Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay.
That’s why researchers from Mystic Aquarium have gone to the Ocean State to check it out.
Video shot by David DeSalvo captures the whales as they swim off of Jamestown Rhode Island.
Once Newport Buzz posted the video word spread to the Beluga experts at Mystic Aquarium.
“Belugas are native to the Arctic so this is not considered part of their natural habitat,” says Mystic Aquarium Veterinarian Dr. Allison Tuttle.
Although she also says in the past decade there have been some sightings outside the Belugas’ natural habitat like the one spotted in the Taunton River last summer.
Researchers from the aquarium are attempting to categorize the Belugas’ behaviors and how they look.
“Body condition whether or not they have any types of entanglements or gear,” says Dr. Tuttle.
They spotted the whales off of Warwick RI today and can only speculate as to why the whales are so far from home.
“We do know that this time of year compared to other years that the water’s been colder as well as there’s been a large early influx of the squid population so there appears to be abundant food for them,” says Dr. Tuttle. “Whether or not that has anything to do with why they’re here remains to be determined.”
While it may be tempting folks should not try to get up close and personal with these whales.
“People need to keep a really safe distance,” explains Dr. Tuttle. “They should stay hundreds of yards away from the animals but they can appreciate them from a distance. If they do see them we would appreciate a call to our animal rescue program hotline which they can reach through the Mystic Aquarium switchboard.”
If you miss seeing the Belugas in the wild of course you can always go to Mystic Aquarium to see them.
You can also get an up close look during a Beluga Encounter program where you can actually touch and help feed the whales.
Comment