Starving Gray Whale Dies in River

0:00On April 6, a young Grey Whale that swam 20 miles of a river in Washington State has been found dead near Raymond. Experts think hunger pushed it into the Willapa River, while it was migrating north from Mexico to Alaska feeding grounds. This spring, Grey Whales make their usual 5,000-mile trek from Baja, California, birthing areas up to Arctic waters. But since 2019, food shortages in the bearing and chuck she sees have hit hard, leaving many whales skinny and desperate. Locals were stunned watching the juvenile explore the river, which connects to Willapa Bay. The bigger picture shows a crisis, with a national oceanic and atmospheric administration, unusual mortality event logging nearly 700, strandings from late 2018 to late 2023. Researchers from Cascadia Research noted the whale look thin, but acted normal with no clear injuries. They hoped it had head back out on its own, but it ventured deeper into shallow spots, boats couldn't reach.

1:00Now, teams plan a close exam as early as Monday to confirm what went wrong. This case spotlights how climate shifts are starving these giants, forcing risky moves just to survive. This has been Global News Today, powered by AI.