os mistérios das baleias

O que leva dezenas de baleias a morrerem no mesmo dia, em aparentes suicídios em grupo? O que as motiva a rondar alguns barcos, da forma mais suave que conseguem, aparentemente conscientes da fragilidade humana, como quem diz olá?

Um excelente artigo na revista de domingo do New York Times sobre a inteligência destes mamíferos, apoiado nos mais recentes estudos científicos norte-americanos. Onde se fala também da magia única dos encontros com estes gigantes do mar. Fiquei com saudades dos Açores...

«A female humpback was spotted in December 2005 east of the Farallon Islands, just off the coast of San Francisco. She was entangled in a web of crab-trap lines, hundreds of yards of nylon rope that had become wrapped around her mouth, torso and tail, the weight of the traps causing her to struggle to stay afloat. A rescue team arrived within a few hours and decided that the only way to save her was to dive in and cut her loose.
For an hour they cut at the lines and rope with curved knives, all the while trying to steer clear of a tail they knew could kill them with one swipe. When the whale was finally freed, the divers said, she swam around them for a time in what appeared to be joyous circles. She then came back and visited with each one of them, nudging them all gently, as if in thanks. The divers said it was the most beautiful experience they ever had. As for the diver who cut free the rope that was entangled in the whale’s mouth, her huge eye was following him the entire time, and he said that he will never be the same.»