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Hi John,
After being struck in the head and mouth with a boat propeller, a young North Atlantic right whale is now likely unable to nurse.
The calf's wounds are expected to be fatal.
Deaths like these are preventable, and the Center is doing all it can to protect endangered whales.
Please help now by making a gift to the Saving Life on Earth Fund.
If the calf dies, it would be the 14th North Atlantic right whale to suffer a mortal injury from a vessel strike since 2008.
And only a third of whale deaths are documented, so the actual death toll is much higher.
North Atlantic right whales are among the most endangered whales on Earth. Federal scientists say 50 calves need to be born each year for several years to allow the population to recover; only 14 have been born this year.
The loss of even one in a year threatens the recovery of the species, so protections are critical.
But almost exactly a year ago, NOAA Fisheries denied our emergency petition to implement new rules for vessels in the coastal waters where right whales migrate.
The agency is sitting on its hands — and whale calves are paying for it with their lives.
We're pushing the agency to extend the time period when speed rules would be in effect and to expand the range of where the rules would apply. There should also be mandatory speed restrictions in areas where the whales are spotted.
The government says it plans to issue new rules, but we're still waiting.
There's no excuse for bureaucracy when the future of a species is at stake. Meanwhile, whale calves remain in immediate danger.
We'll never stop fighting for whales and other species facing extinction, and we know you won’t, either.
Please give to the Saving Life on Earth Fund. Wildlife is counting on us.
For the wild,
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