vaquitas
Have you ever heard the word “vaquita”? Probably, I’m guessing not many of you have heard of this word. So, you might be thinking “what is a vaquita?” Well, let me explain. The vaquita is a small harbor whale dolphin native to a very small area in the northern part of the Gulf of California, Mexico. It’s the smallest whale dolphin alive today. But there’s a problem. You see, the vaquita is killed unintentionally. But how is that possible? Nearly 1 out of every 5 vaquitas get entangled and drown in gill nets that are intended for other marine species. You might not many vaquitas have died because of this but the truth is they have become so endangered that there are only 10 of them left!! I’m not kidding. This is real. Now all this is super sad. But there are things we can do to help vaquitas:
1. Spread the message. Get the word out that vaquitas are dying.
2. Sign the petition
3. Shop for sustainable seafood or even better become a vegetarian.
4. Avoid Mexican shrimp mainly.
5. Support the Gulf of California (Mexico)
6. Tell the Mexican Government to step up its actions!
7. Donate to conservation efforts
If the vaquita goes extinct there will be fewer animals to prey on small and medium-sized fish. Vaquitas are opportunistic feeders and have been known to eat dozens of species of fish.
But I am sure that if we do these 7 things, slowly but surely the vaquita will go back once again to its normal population size.
