atom robot
Disabled killer whale with missing fins survives with the help of family who hunt for its food
- Rainer Schimpf spotted the whale off Port Elizabeth in South Africa
- It was missing its right-side pectoral fin and dorsal fin
- But it was cared for by its pod which shared food with the young male
A disabled killer whale that is missing two fins is able to survive in the wild with the help of its family, who hunt food its food.
The young killer whale has no dorsal fin or right-side pectoral fin, leaving it unable to hunt for itself.
But rather than be left to fend for itself or die, the whale appears to be cared for by members of its pod, which share their food with the youngster.
It is one of the few times that killer whales have been seen to feed and care for a non-hunting member.Underwater photographer Rainer Schimpf came face to face with the pod while the members hunted in waters off Port Elizabeth in South Africa.
He said: ‘Incapable of fast hunting and ambushing prey it has to be dependent on the pod which, one assumes, looks after it very well.
‘It shows these mammals are not really just ruthless killing machines but they also have complex, caring social-structures in which they and care for their own disabled members.’
Mr Schimpf had been tracking the pod of seven as they hunted a Bryde’s whale - measuring 50ft (15m) in length and weighing a massive 15 tonnes.
Killer whales are known to hunt and kill larger whale species - but sometimes only eat the tongue, research has shown.
The pod also included a female with a bent dorsal fin like the killer whale in Free Willy, a ‘huge male’ and four other females.
He said the younger whale followed at a distance and appeared to have fallen behind.
The younger killer whale stayed at a distance when the rest of the pod hunted at the surface and then in the depths.
‘It was brave and curious enough to come close to the boat and inspect us,’ said Mr Schimpf, a guide for Dive Expert Tour.
‘But after a while he disappeared as well, presumably to dive down to the whale-feast below.
‘Such a kill would easily support the entire orca pod and make sharing of the kill much easier than if they had taken a seal or a dolphin.’
The find is one of only a handful where injured or disabled killer whales have been known to survive with the help of its pod.
In 1996 researchers spotted a killer-whale calf that was missing its tail and part of its dorsal fin - believed to have been sliced off by a boat propeller.
The injured killer whale - known as stumpy - was not seen for many seasons afterwards and presumed dead until it popped up again seven years later.
It was last seen feeding with a pod off the coast of Queensland, Australia, in 2008.
(via fuckyeahcompassion)
the-absolute-best-photography:
Cindy Clark, a Pennsylvania-based dog breeder decided to share these images of her then 3-month-old nephew with a few 3-week-old French bulldog puppies.
(Source: fornicating)
“Hang the eucalyptus upside down by tying it to your shower head with twine. When you run your shower, the steam will rise up towards the eucalyptus, filling your bathroom with the most refreshing, relaxing scent. Plus, the added greens are lovely on the eyes. You’ll definitely feel a little closer to nature.”
(via fuckyeahcompassion)
the pigment of
roses
for your cheek,
living rabbits
were
tortured
in a lab; their
eyes were
burned away.
I have no word
to compare
your skin
to petals.”
(via fuckyeahcompassion)
Remarkable survival of Russian space dogs who plummeted 125 miles to Earth when rocket malfunctioned then spent four days in -40C Siberian wilderness
- Strays Comet and Shutka were launched into space in December 1960
- Soviet rocket failed and crashed back to Earth 2,200 miles from launch site
- Dogs were found still in space capsule after ejection system also failed
- Despite four days in Siberian wilderness they were still alive
Before man became brave enough to conquer space himself, canine cosmonauts were sent in our place.
It was a perilous job, with almost half of all dogs destined not to come home.
But two female strays employed in the Soviet space programme, Comet and Shutka, proved to be remarkable survivors.
During a mission, the pair plummeted 125 miles to Earth after their rocket malfunctioned and remained trapped inside for four days in the Siberian wilderness.
To the astonishment of the Soviet authorities, they were found alive.
Their incredible story, as reported by The Siberian Times, has only just emerged after being kept secret for more than 50 years.
On December 22, 1960, the space dogs - who had been picked after surviving a rough life on the streets - were launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on board a Vostok 1K spacecraft.
It was Comet’s third space flight, having twice been sent into orbit the previous year.
But this launch would prove to be disastrous.
The rocket failed to reach orbit after suffering a malfunction in the third stage of the rocket.
The emergency systems sprung into action and the rocket plunged back to Earth, crashing some 2,200 miles from the launch site.
‘At the beginning of the third stage the engine failed,’ said Arvid Pallo, a close colleague of Sergei Korolev, the lead Soviet rocket engineer and spacecraft designer.
‘The control system gave the order to separate the ship, and according to the calculations it was to be found in Yakutia.
‘Was the ship damaged? How did it land after the accident?
‘What happened to the dogs that were to be catapulted in their container on Yakutian frost? These were the questions we had no answers for.’
In temperatures of minus 40C, a search group from the State Commission was sent to try to find the wreckage.
Four days later the remains of the rocket were found near the village of Tura, between the rivers Ognekte and Yukteken.
Crucially, the two female dogs remained inside the insulated module due to failure of the ejection system, a fact which saved their lives in the perishing conditions.
On Christmas morning, rescuer Armen Gyurdzhian began to open the capsule and could hear quiet barking.
‘They were alive despite the most pessimistic forecasts,’ he said.
Gyurdzhian wrapped the frozen and exhausted animals in his coat and went back to Tura by helicopter.
He described them as being ‘in a state half death because of the shock after crashing down and…. the cold in which they had to spend time till they were found’.
Records show Gyurdzhian took them back to Moscow where they were said to be ‘feeling good’ the next day.
The fate of Shutka after returning to Moscow is not known.
But Comet was adopted by academic Oleg Gazenko, a specialist in aviation medicine, with whom she lived for 14 years. After her Siberian adventure, she went on to have puppies.
‘She was such a cute, fluffy, fair-haired dog with a sharp nose,’ he said.
‘She was a hero, flying as many as three times - twice in rockets, and a third on board the satellite, the forerunner of the ship which was used for Yuri Gagarin’s flight’.
The spacecraft’s designer Korolev wanted to make the news of Comet and Shutka’s faile flight public but was banned from doing so by Soviet officialdom.
As a result, their heroic adventure has not been properly recorded in many histories of space animals - until now.
adoptpets: Evil scientists using innocent animals in their experiments. If humans want to make advancements in science & technology, the only ones that should be experimented on are willing humans. Though I wouldn’t mind seeing pedophiles and rapists in our prisons used in experiments. But leave the innocent sweet animals alone! I’m glad at least Comet got a happy ending after all the trauma she went through.
(via fuckyeahcompassion)
