Sunday, April 17, 2005
JB Bakery owner Stephen Simon, 28, and brother Paul, 24 (left) show trays of beluga whale sugar cookies at the Burlington City bakery. "The kids ... won't leave without them," Stephen Simon said.
Sea of activity surrounds whale in the Delaware
By Kera Ritter and Adam Fifeld
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
Sunday, April 17, 2005
JB Bakery owner Stephen Simon, 28,
and brother Paul, 24 (left) show trays of beluga whale sugar cookies
at the Burlington City bakery. "The kids ... won't leave
without them," Stephen Simon said.
Whale cookies, whale ice cream. Vendors cater to large crowds hoping to glimpse the stray beluga.
Helis might have been a noshow for visitors in Burlington City yesterday, but businesses near the Delaware River are doing little complaining.
Whale watchers have spent plenty of dollars on food and other items as they've flocked to the riverfront, hiping to spot the beluga whale, which was last seen yesterday near Bordentown and Florence.
The line of customers was almost out the door yesterday morning at JB Bakery, which has sold more than 1,000 of its $2 whale cookies since Thursday morning. The sugar cookie is shaped like a whale and covered with light-blue frosting.
"Everyone that walks in here wants the whale cookies," said Paul Simon, whose family runs the bakery. "If thy don't ask for them and you tell tem, then they get a dozen."
Owner Stephen Simon, his brother, said that customers are buying the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. One customer even asked for a whale-shaped cake.
"The kids are coming in here and they won't leave without them," said Stephen Simon.
Several blocks away at the Ummm Ice Cream Parlor; store manager Andre Carson Jones also said that business had picked up since the whale was first spotted in the area on Tuesday. The store is offering "beluga" - flavored ice cream in honor of Helis.
"It's just vanilla ice cream," Jones said. "We figured beluga whale - the white whale - vanilla ice cream. We wanted to do something because he was here."
Business owners and longtime residents said the whale has drawn large crowds of outsiders to the city, including one visitor from as far away as Virginia.
"There are more and more people coming looking for him," said James L. Brown, 82, a regular at the Special Blend Convenience Store two blocks from the river. "They just keep coming. It's good for the city."
Crowds along the waterfront had thinned by yesterday but several dozen watchers were still hoping to catch a glimpse of the 12-foot beluga.
Laura and James Della Franco of Mount Laurel spent several hours staring at the water on Friday and yesterday before heading to another vantage point in Florence. Their children, ages 21 and 14, gave up after Friday.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime story." said Laura Della Franco, with a box of whale cookies in her hand. "How often are you going to see a whale in the Delaware River?"
Helis was seen yesterday morning swimming in an area near Trenton and Bordentown, according to the New Jersey State Police. By late afternoon, he was spotted between Bordentown and Florence.
"He goes north, goes south, goes north, goes south," said State Police Sgt. Wayne Kruger.
Experts said that Helis' ability to avoid boats and dive for prolonged periods of time indicates that he is still in good physical condition. Authorities have decided to continue their hand-off approach and let the beluga find his way back home.
"All external signs and behaviors point to a healthy animal," said Jamison Smith, a marine biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who arrived in Burlington City yesterday to observe the whale. The agency is the whale's official protector.
"He would not let us get closer than 20 or 30 yards," Smith said. "we like to see that shyness, that evasiveness. It's natural behavior for a beluga to be wary."
There are number of theories about how the whale ended up in the Delaware River.
There are a number of theories about how the whale ended up in the Delaware River.
Helis might have followed meals of shad, which swim upstream this time of year. He may be searching for warmer waters to die in. The whale is nearing the end of his 30- to 35- year life expectancy.
Smith also said it was also possible that Helis strayed into the fresh waters of the Delaware to shed layers of dead skin.
Law enforcement officers and scientist continue to urge boaters to stay at least 150 feet away from the whale. Contact with humans could cause stress and make the whale sick, Smith said.