Pray for baby whale..?

Question

Will you pray for the baby whale that's lost it's mother in Sydney?

Answer 1

of course. why?

Answer 2

I'm sorry, but the baby whale in Sydney Harbor doesn't stand much of a chance.  Humpbacks don't abandon or lose their babies, and they can communicate across entire oceans, which means that the whale's mother is almost certainly dead.  If the mother was killed about the time the lone baby first showed up, her decomposing body should re-float shortly, if it hasn't already.

The problem with making an artificial nipple for the baby, and feeding it formula is that whale b*****s don't work the way other mammal b*****s work.  They can't, because if the baby had to suckle like most babies it wouldn't be able to breathe and eat at the same time.  When a baby whale nudges one of her mammary slits, she sticks her nipple out and the baby takes hold of it.  She then expands the nipple in the baby's mouth to form a tight seal, and injects 5-10 gallons of milk into the baby's stomach so forcefully that baby whales have a special spongy organ on the inside of their backbones that we think is primarily a shock absorber to absorb the force of nursing.  Most animals take their time nursing, but with whales, the whole process takes about five seconds.

It would take a pretty sophisticated pump to be deliver that big a load, and no more, that quickly.  Such a pump is not an off-the-shelf item and would have to be specially made.  The formula for such a feeding isn't an off-the-shelf item either, but it wouldn't be difficult to put together.  I'd start with five gallons of condensed milk and add enough unsalted melted butter to bring the mixture up to 50% fat.  Whale milk actually has a bit more than 50% fat, but 50% would be close enough.

Even if we had such a pump, there's the problem of the expandable nipple.  If the baby took a mouthful of milk and then swallowed, it would be much easier, but we don't think baby whales swallow when nursing, so getting a tight fit with the nipple is crucial to the success of nursing.

Sorry, Nikita, it doesn't look like we can save this one, but I want you to know we would have if we could have.  If this baby dies, it won't be because nobody cared.