Rapid rescue to help dolphins and whales trapped in the Gowanus Canal
Why is this important?
On January 25, 2013, a dolphin was injured and trapped in the toxic waters of the Gowanus canal in Brooklyn. It fought for its life for over 6 hours, while bystanders were taking pictures, and news helicopters were flying by. Local officials decided not to intervene to save the dolphin. After 6 to 8 hours trapped in the very polluted waters, the dolphin died.
In 2007 a baby whale also got trapped and died in the canal.
The Gowanus canal is man made, and its high level of toxicity and pollution is due to us.
We need to have a protocol in place for rapid rescue to help these large mammals swim back to the bay when they get trapped. No large mammal should ever die trapped in the Gowanus canal. We have a moral responsibility to have a protocol of rapid rescue in place, and we need our local officials to explore every option to prevent future deaths.
