There has been some uplifting news for the North Atlantic right whale.
CNN reports that “hope” was renewed for the endangered species after two newborn calves were spotted on separate occasions.
The first sighting was off the coast of Cumberland Island, Georgia on December 4. The newborn was seen with its mom, Chiminea, believed to be about 13 years old and a first time mom.
The second sighting happened three days later on December 7 off the coast of Vilano Beach. That’s where a baby was seen swimming with it’s 16-year-old mom, Millipede.
Blue World Research Institute (BWRI) Executive Director Jamison Smith used drones to capture the footage.
"With a population at such low levels, every individual counts, and it is great to see these two new calves at essentially the beginning of the calving season,” he said.
The outlet noted that there are only about 400 North Atlantic right whales left in the world.
Since calving season runs from mid-November through mid-April, Smith said the early sightings “gives us hope that there will be more over the next few months.”
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“This species needs all the help they can get so that we might be able to show our grandkids a right whale in the future rather than just tell stories about them,” he added.
The news comes six months after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] found a deceased floating right whale off the coast in New Jersey.
"An unusual mortality event has been in effect for North Atlantic right whales since 2017, during which 31 whales have been found dead in U.S. and Canadian waters. (This whale is the 31st found dead.)," NOAA wrote in a release at the time.
Jessica Powell, a marine mammal biologist for NOAA, explained that it’s an “all hands on deck” effort to save the whales, a species vulnerable to ship strikes and net entanglements.
"We advise folks anywhere in the southeast to be really cautious when on the water during the calving season, to look out for calves, slow down around them and give them space," she said, adding, "Whatever we can do to give these whales a fighting chance."
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