By Rowan, Grade 7
A normal day for the students of Lyman Moore; we’re struggling with homework and math class, while the remaining vaquitas are struggling with extinction. Look around the class you might be in right now, look around and picture your classmates as vaquitas. These are the last vaquitas in the world, and they’re not going to be in the world much longer.
This stocky creature about 4 and ½ feet long, (about the size of a small human) and is nicknamed its Spanish name; the ‘Little Cow of the Sea’, with absolutely adorable rings around its eyes. In 2018, there were less than 19 vaquitas left, and it’s predicted that by 2021, there’ll be none left.
They’re only habitat is in the Gulf of California off the coast of Mexico, where they were first found in 1950. They are getting caught and drowning in gill nets for shrimp and totoabas, which are fish. When totoabas were confirmed to be endangered in 1975, it became illegal to fish for it, but people still continue to do it, endangering the Vaquitas and continuing to be its main threat.
When Vaquitas numbers were still continuing to fall, the government made a failed attempt to bring their numbers back up called VaquitaCPR. They gathered an international team of veterinarians, conservationists, and scientists to try and get half the population of Vaquitas into protected sea pens. VaquitaCPR caught two females, but when the Vaquitas were showing signs of being uncomfortable and stressed, they released them. Vaquitas are cetaceans, which is a family that has whales, dolphins, and porpoises in it.
Scientists say that there are likely only 10 vaquitas left in the world! Forget about other species that numbers are declining. You can help them later. Vaquitas are now, and time is not on our side. Research vaquitas and donate money to programs dedicated to helping vaquitas, before it’s too late. Save the Little Cows of the Sea!