Wandering May Be Hunt for Quiet Birthing Spot : ‘Humphrey’ the Whale Could Be Pregnant

The landlocked whale that has stubbornly refused to leave the Sacramento River for more than two weeks may be an expectant mother looking for a quiet spot to give birth, a state official said today.

Bev Passerello, working on the whale rescue project for the state Office of Emergency Services, said a federal biologist was “holed up with the books” looking into that possibility.

Onlookers have referred to the whale as a male, calling it Humphrey, but scientists have been unable to determine its sex. Its scars and coloring led to a presumption that it was a male.

“In some of the books we found some published material that this is perfectly normal behavior for the humpback whale, that it would seek a warm inland estuary to give birth,” she said.

Passerello said the 45-ton whale’s riverbound behavior, which has puzzled scientists for more than two weeks, makes sense for a pregnant whale in search of tranquil warm water to bear her young.

Made Wrong Turn

Marine biologists have said the huge humpback should have headed for mating and birthing grounds off Hawaii or Mexico rather than turning east under the Golden Gate Bridge on Oct. 11.

At one point in its sojourn, the bus-sized mammal lingered in a remote dead-end inlet 60 miles from the ocean for almost a week before boaters scared it back down river by clanging submerged pipes.

It subsequently resumed its pattern of swimming figure eights and has remained for two days near Decker Island, 45 miles from the salty waters of the Pacific. Scientists failed Tuesday in an effort to plant a radio transmitter in whale’s blubber. (Story, Page 34.)

Passerello said she has been assured by the National Marine Fisheries Service that there will be no further attempt to herd the whale down river while there is a possibility it is a pregnant female.