Eight months later, a highly sociable solitary juvenile beluga arrived in Codroy Harbour, Newfoundland. The school children called this whale Echo. The Whale Stewardship Project (WSP) determined through photo identification that this was Casper who had travelled about 600 km to the south of where he had been released. Having quickly become a tourist attraction, Casper Echo (hereafter known as “Echo”) became a primary focus of  the WSP’s research, protection and public education programs in 2002.

 

On July 31, 2002 (after three and a half months of being resident in Codroy Harbour), Echo was struck by the propeller of a large vessel (for photos & more details click here). The WSP implemented a special emergency response program for Echo, in consultation with marine mammal veterinarians and other experts.

 

Two weeks after his injury, Echo disappeared (for more details click here), but was resighted 150 km north of Codroy Harbour.

In October 2002, the WSP was able to document the amazing healing process of Echo’s injuries (for a photo & more details click here).

 

The last sighting of Casper-Echo was in October 2002. The WSP remains hopeful that he will be identified again in the future but in the company of other beluga whales.

Casper-Echo

In April 2001, a young male beluga nicknamed Casper was discovered with two other juvenile whales (known as Shadow and Phantom) along the Quebec shore near the Strait of Belle Isle. The whales’ voyage, 14 km up St. Paul’s River, ended tragically with the deaths of Casper’s pod-mates. In August of that year, Casper was rescued from the river and released into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.