Whale shuts down Cape Cod canal

BOURNE, Mass. - The Cape Cod Canal has reopened after a
wayward Atlantic right whale forced the closure of the waterway to
maritime traffic.
    Authorities said the 45-foot whale swam into the Sagamore end of
the canal at about 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Army Corps of
Engineers - which operates the canal - ordered it closed to avoid a
collision between the animal and a ship.
    The waterway was reopened at about 3 p.m. after the whale swam
into Buzzards Bay.
    Atlantic right whales are an endangered species. Scientists
estimate there are about 300 of them left.
    An official at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies said
it had been about seven years since a right whale entered the
canal.