Endangered whale gives birth while caught in fishing rope, scientists say

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Scientists spotted an endangered right whale dragging a length of fishing rope caught in its mouth as it swam with a newborn calf off the Georgia coast, a rare confirmation of a birth by an entangled whale that experts determined they can’t safely attempt to help.

The baby whale appeared healthy and uninjured when an aerial survey team spotted it Thursday alongside its ensnared mother near Cumberland Island, Georgia, said Clay George, a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

It was the second newborn right whale confirmed in the Atlantic waters of the Southeastern U.S. during the species’ calving season that typically runs from December through March.

North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered, with scientists estimating that fewer than 350…