Death watch for Humphrey

DEATH is the expected fate of Humphrey the humpback whale when a successful rescue attempt was foiled by his stubborn return to the lagoon south of Walvis Bay yesterday.

A rescue team that struggled non-stop for two days to keep the whale alive were rewarded on Monday night. They managed, with the aid of floating devices and two ski-boats, to lift Humphrey, as he was named, from the bottom of the lagoon where he has been stranded since Saturday.His saviours guided Humphrey into deeper waters where they stabilised and released him.The team watched him swim towards the ocean.Some rescuers visited the scene yesterday morning only to be met by the disheartening sight of the stranded whale some 25 metres from the original spot he was found.By yesterday afternoon it was reported by a member of the rescue team, Neels Dreyer from Mola-Mola Safaris, that Humphrey was suffering from convulsions and was not expected to live much longer.”Now we can only watch nature (take) its course,” he said.Naudé Dreyer, organiser of the rescue attempt, said late yesterday afternoon that Humphrey was in a bad state and was not expected to even make it into the night.He said the whale was severely burned by the sun and pecked by seagulls.It was suspected that Humphrey’s lungs had collapsed from the constant pressure.The rescue team had considered putting an end to Humphrey’s misery but they couldn’t get the dynamite needed to end his life.Earlier, Neels Dreyer said only two per cent of similar rescue attempts worldwide resulted in the survival of a stranded whale.Members of the rescue team have braved the icy water since Sunday to keep his body covered with wet blankets and newspapers and keep his head under water.They managed, with the aid of floating devices and two ski-boats, to lift Humphrey, as he was named, from the bottom of the lagoon where he has been stranded since Saturday.His saviours guided Humphrey into deeper waters where they stabilised and released him.The team watched him swim towards the ocean.Some rescuers visited the scene yesterday morning only to be met by the disheartening sight of the stranded whale some 25 metres from the original spot he was found.By yesterday afternoon it was reported by a member of the rescue team, Neels Dreyer from Mola-Mola Safaris, that Humphrey was suffering from convulsions and was not expected to live much longer.”Now we can only watch nature (take) its course,” he said.Naudé Dreyer, organiser of the rescue attempt, said late yesterday afternoon that Humphrey was in a bad state and was not expected to even make it into the night.He said the whale was severely burned by the sun and pecked by seagulls.It was suspected that Humphrey’s lungs had collapsed from the constant pressure. The rescue team had considered putting an end to Humphrey’s misery but they couldn’t get the dynamite needed to end his life.Earlier, Neels Dreyer said only two per cent of similar rescue attempts worldwide resulted in the survival of a stranded whale.Members of the rescue team have braved the icy water since Sunday to keep his body covered with wet blankets and newspapers and keep his head under water.