Thousands of whales strand every year, and even more die out of sight, mostly from the consequences of human activities. They are lacerated by propellers, go hungry in oceans that are rampantly overfished, become disoriented because of noise pollution, and choke on trash and tangles of net. The stranding, and unlikely rescue, of one young humpback whale garnered international attention but did not move the needle for whale conservation. “The rescue of a single animal does not ameliorate any of these risks—and, if anything, convoluted efforts to save one whale might distract from the work of protecting a species and its habitat,” Jessica Camille Aguirre writes. Read more about the rescue of Timmy the whale: www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/the-unlike...