Thumper surfaces for air, gear-free, with the vessel from the Chatham Bars Inn in the background. CCS image taken under NOAA permit 18786.
CHATHAM – A humpback whale was untangled from heavy rope off of Chatham on Monday by the Center for Coastal Studies.
The center’s Marine Animal Entanglement Response Team went out to mother Thumper and her young calf about 10 miles east of Chatham Harbor, after a private boat spotted them.
A thick rope was wrapped around Thumper’s body five times over. The center believes the rope likely made feeding difficult, meaning that providing food for the calf would have been just as hard.
Crews spent an hour cutting the rope off. The center determined it likely entangled the whale for months; they noted that Thumper was thinner and more pale than other humpback mothers.
Reports indicate that Thumper and her child are now in far better condition following the disentanglement.
More information on the mission can be found by visiting the Center for Coastal Studies’ website.
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