Whale Watch

Marine experts from Sea World are using the latest radio transmission technology to monitor J.J., the newly freed gray whale.

Ten sixth-graders at Barcelona Hills Elementary School in Mission Viejo are doing the same thing, using the Internet.

Since the 15-month-old whale was orphaned last year, the group has followed her arrival at Sea World, how she has adapted to her handlers and, most recently, her return to the ocean and ride to freedom Tuesday.

The group has amassed an encyclopedic amount of whale knowledge over the months, and students can spout whale family classifications, whale dietary habits and whale growth patterns with ease.

The group, students of history teacher Kaye Denison, spent most of Thursday morning on the Internet, checking reports on the whale’s progress.

Having followed J.J. for so long, the 11- and 12-year-olds have put some thought into why--beyond scientific reasons--saving her life and studying her is important.

They have concluded that even if animals and mammals don’t love human beings, it’s natural for humans to love them.

At their school, the kids care for frogs, snakes, a chameleon, a skink, an iguana, fish and water turtle. They are sure the reptiles are indifferent toward them, but it doesn’t stop them from liking the creatures.

“I heard on the news that you’re not lonely and your life is not so stressful with animals in it, and I think it’s true,” said Sean Kingsmill, 12.

“I mean, people are lonely,” A.J. Young said. “For example, wouldn’t you be lonely if you didn’t live at all with anybody, and wouldn’t you want a dog or something?”

Learning about the whale has been fun. They know that J.J. weighs more then 17,000 pounds, is 29 feet long and gains 2 pounds every hour. Killer whales are natural enemies of gray whales, and while adults eat plankton, J.J. existed mostly on a mixture of milk, powdered fish and warm cream passed through a tube into her stomach.

“It’s important to save her because they come from an extinct species, and it’s good since they’re coming back up,” said Danielle Howannesian, 11. “Besides, babies are always cute.”

It is largely affection for the baby whale that keeps them interested in her plight.

They sympathized with J.J.’s orphanhood and her efforts to learn survival skills. When she was released, the group felt bad for the whale’s disappointed handlers, who said J.J. did not make her typical sound of gratitude before swimming away. But they believe J.J. will miss her handlers after awhile.

“They took care of her and fed her every day and raised her good,” said Stephanie Melton, 12. “Now she’s the most healthiest whale in the world.”

For now the group relies on updates posted to the Sea World Web site (www.seaworld.org), but by next Friday, the satellite tracking system should begin receiving transmissions directly from J.J., and the students will have access to more current information.

But the class doesn’t spend all its time on J.J. For another project in Denison’s class, the children had to pretend they were Hollywood location scouts and, using computers, map important sites in ancient Egypt. The project was coupled with lessons on chemical warfare in neighboring Iraq and political tension in the region.

“My class is actually an ancient history class, but because we’re really involved in current events, we tie in whatever is happening in the world,” Denison said.

Members of the “Barcelona Hills J.J. fan club”--what one student dubbed the group--say they will follow the whale’s progress until they are sure she is safe or has joined a pod of whales.

“We’ve been with it this long,” said Lindsay Murray, 12. “We have to make sure that she’s going to be OK.”