About 40 porpoises, including mothers with their calves, have become injured and trapped in ice pushing up on the Atlantic coast of eastern Canada. Bert Osmond of Cape Ray in southwestern Newfoundland watched the porpoises struggle over the weekend and said he doubted the mammals were able to survive difficult conditions overnight.
”I don’t say any of them survived, with the temperatures last night, -10, and the winds on land westerly,” Osmond said.
“It just drove the ice more tighter, and just drove the ice over them, I’d say.”
Government fisheries officials have been notified, said Osmond, although he thought there is little they can do to break the ice apart.
“They [the porpoises have] no food, because where they’re to is shallow water, and they’re on the rocks and parts of them are sticking out of the water,” he said, adding he has seen heartbreaking moments, particularly with the calves.
“There was two together, and the young one was almost like a little kid crying.”
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