Australia's great white whale returns
|
|
|
|
|
Sydney - Australia's favourite whale has been spotted on its annual journey from the frigid waters of Antarctica to breeding grounds in the tropical warmth of far north Queensland. The progress of a rare white humpback, nicknamed Migaloo, has generated such excitement on the east coast that sightseers were warned Tuesday that hefty fines await those who defy the law and get too close. "Migaloo has been declared a special-interest whale, granting him more space to swim up the Queensland coast," Kate Jones, the state's environment minister, said. "The whale-watching regulations are there to protect the whales, but also to protect people from these huge, unpredictable mammals." Migaloo was injured in a collision with careless British tourists aboard a boat on the Great Barrier Reef two years ago. He was first spotted off Cape Byron, Australia's most easterly point, in 1991 and has been seen in each of the last five years. Being designated a "special-interest whale" means those taking a boat any closer than 500 metres risk a hefty fine. Aircraft that fly low over Migaloo also risk punishment. Around 5,000 humpbacks migrate each southern hemisphere winter from their Antarctic feeding grounds. By the spring, the females will have given birth and their young will be strong enough for the return journey.
Copyright DPA
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related News
More than 90 dead in floods in El Salvador
Mexico City/San Salvador - At least 90 people were killed as heavy rains prompted mudslides and flooding rivers in El Salvador, rescue workers said Sunday. The rainfall, which was prompted by a cold front and the remainders of Caribbean hurricane Ida...
Storm death toll hits 109 in Vietnam
Hanoi - The death toll from Tropical Storm Mirinae in central Vietnam has risen to 109, the country's Steering Committee for Storm and Flood Control reported Friday. The authority said 16 people remained missing, and local media were reporting death ...
Hurricane Ida hits Nicaragua's Caribbean coast - Summary
Managua/Miami - Hurricane Ida hit Nicaragua's Caribbean coast with heavy rain Thursday and led to the evacuation of thousands of people, officials said. Civil Defence chief General Mario Perez-Cassar said the authorities were coordinating to send foo...
EXTRA: Hurricane Ida makes landfall on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast
Managua - Hurricane Ida hit Nicaragua's Caribbean coast with heavy rain Thursday and led to the evacuation of several villages in the area, Nicaraguan authorities said. General Mario Parez-Cassar, head of the Central American country's Civil Defence,...
Ida becomes a hurricane en route to Nicaragua - Summary
Managua/Miami - Tropical Storm Ida became a hurricane as it continued to approach Nicaragua Thursday, the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said. Ida - with maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometres per hour with higher gusts - was expected to ma...
Storm death toll in Vietnam rises to 98
Hanoi - The death toll from Tropical Storm Mirinae has risen to 98 in central Vietnam, the country's Steering Committee for Storm and Flood Control said Thursday. The authority said 20 people were missing and it expected the death toll to continue to...
Quake shakes southern Iranian port, 700 injured - Summary
Tehran - An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9 on the Richter scale shook the southern Iranian port town of Bandar Abbas Wednesday and injured at least 700 people, state media reported. The quake occurred in the early morning hours of Wednesday and l...
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Protecting the Future
By:
James ,
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:31:00 GMT
|
|
Every once in a great while, something in nature causes a stir. Something out of the norm. When this happens, most people, if only briefly< focus on the fragility of things natural, and realize that these treasures are indeed priceless and irreplaceable.
It causes most to question whether we are doing all we can to protect and preserve these wonders for future generations. We are stewards not owners, and must come to understand that, as a global community. As a sportsman/fisherman, I hope never to see the day when these wondrous creatures vanish from the oceans of the world. PLEASE!!! Do something, say something, be an advocate of anything, but let your voices be heard!!
|
|
The White Whale/ Whales in general
By:
Carla Meyer ,
Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:26:07 GMT
|
|
It's good news that this Whale was saved from the Japanese fleet, however
the same can't be said of the other
whales. Let's hope that this is a turning point in regard to the Whales,
and all sea life in general. By not taking so much that it can't be replaced.
|
|
|
|
|
