Non profit One World One Ocean Foundation has uploaded to YouTube a stunning video of a mother gray whale lifting up her calf, seemingly to help it get a better view of excited onlookers.
The group says that gray whales in San Ignacio Lagoon, off Mexico’s Baja peninsula, frequently approach small tourist boats, seeking the human interaction.
While they could easily avoid the people, whose small boats are not allowed to closely approach whales, they actually seem to enjoy making contact.
Laguna San Ignacio is the destination for hundreds of gray whales, who migrate annually to the region from their feeding grounds in the Arctic. Here, where the water is shallow and warm, they give birth to their young.
It lies within El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve and is the gray whale’s last undisturbed nursing and breeding ground, largely thanks to an environmental victory in 2000 that stopped the development of an industrial salt plant.
Whale watching there is highly regulated, with limits on how many boats can be on the water, how long they can stay and how close they can get. Rather than closely approaching the whales, they must idle their engine and wait for the whales to approach the vessel, which is a common occurrence.
One World One Ocean uses “the power of film, television, new media and education initiatives … to change the way people see and value the ocean — and motivate action to restore it.”
Source
The group says that gray whales in San Ignacio Lagoon, off Mexico’s Baja peninsula, frequently approach small tourist boats, seeking the human interaction.
While they could easily avoid the people, whose small boats are not allowed to closely approach whales, they actually seem to enjoy making contact.
Laguna San Ignacio is the destination for hundreds of gray whales, who migrate annually to the region from their feeding grounds in the Arctic. Here, where the water is shallow and warm, they give birth to their young.
It lies within El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve and is the gray whale’s last undisturbed nursing and breeding ground, largely thanks to an environmental victory in 2000 that stopped the development of an industrial salt plant.
Whale watching there is highly regulated, with limits on how many boats can be on the water, how long they can stay and how close they can get. Rather than closely approaching the whales, they must idle their engine and wait for the whales to approach the vessel, which is a common occurrence.
One World One Ocean uses “the power of film, television, new media and education initiatives … to change the way people see and value the ocean — and motivate action to restore it.”
Source
VIDEO Incredible Whale Encounter - Mother Gray Whale Lifts Her Calf Out of the Water!
How exciting!
Whales can be very social and playful but an intimate moment for a mother to lift her newborn calf to take it's first breath of air. Screaming tourists should have nothing to do w/ it imo.
Indeed, a beautiful and very special sight, but why on earth was the woman screaming..such an awful pitch, showing no respect for the mother and baby.
WOW, I would love to be able to see whales, let alone touch one. Such gentle creatures. xx
I would have loved to see this in person its so awesome:)
The woman was too young, and extremely Yin....That being said; it speaks volumes of the amount of awareness, intelligence and beauty we ignore inherent in nature and its wisdom. Thank for sharing ...
I was on Whale watch wi were not aloud to be laud let alone scream were stuped make me angry at the tour gide
What a once in a lifetime experience !!!
I know that SOME tourism must be allowed to make people aware of the importance of protection for the whales and other animals threathened by US humans.
SADLY, I don't think tour guides will leave the whales alone, since they wan't to please the tourists (and earn MONEY). What is needed is protected areas where NO PEOPLE or boats are allowed AT ALL! Same thing on land, for our own sake, we need to give animals room...there is nowhere animals can live in peace...to many of us!!
WOW - The beautiful creatures GOD has created, I'm taken aback and the whale sharing her newborn with us humans and allowing them to lovingly, excitedly touch it even. What a thrill. The whales didn't seem to mind the excited tones of us humans, maybe they even were as thrilled with the gentle touch and excitment of us humans. What spectacular creatures. WOW
Thank you for sharing this video.
Karyn in Burbank, CA
You it's ashame that this video portrays this enconter as exciting, what it should say is these animals are majestic and glorious and are meant to be left alone it's not a friggen petting zoo.